In the 1960s, West Virginia began promoting its rich folk traditions. During the state’s 1963 Centennial, folk arts played a major role. Governor Wally Barron created the Commerce Department and started a crafts program led by Hulett Smith and others. They supported traditional artists, helped them sell their work, and organized events like the Mountain State Art & Craft Fair at Cedar Lakes.

After Smith became governor in 1965, support for folk arts grew even more. In 1975, the state started Goldenseal magazine to share West Virginia folklife, opened a craft shop at the new Culture Center in Charleston in 1976, and started the Vandalia Gathering (pictured) on the Capitol grounds in 1977. Festivals like these began popping up in virtually every county, celebrating West Virginia's history and culture.