84th Preston County Buckwheat Festival Draws Crowds to Kingwood for Annual Fall Tradition

KINGWOOD, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s best-known fall traditions brought thousands of visitors, families and community groups to Kingwood as the 84th Preston County Buckwheat Festival filled the city with parades, livestock competitions, carnival rides and plenty of buckwheat cakes.

The five-day festival ran Sept. 23 through Sept. 27, continuing a Preston County tradition that dates back to 1938. The celebration is organized by the Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department with support from volunteers and community organizations, with festival proceeds helping support fire department equipment, training and emergency services.

Large crowds lined the streets throughout the festival for its signature parades. The annual School Day Parade again packed sidewalks in downtown Kingwood as marching bands, sports teams, dance groups, community organizations and local royalty made their way through the city.

The Firemen’s Parade also brought hundreds of spectators downtown, featuring fire engines and emergency apparatus from departments across Preston County and the surrounding region. The parade remains a tribute to the volunteer firefighters and first responders who have played a central role in the festival since its earliest years.

Saturday’s Farmer’s Day Parade continued another major festival tradition, while the weekend also included livestock competitions, the youth livestock sale, arts and crafts, live entertainment, the Buckwheat Mile, carnival rides and other activities across the festival grounds.

This year’s festival royalty was also officially crowned during the celebration. Raegan Teter was named Queen Ceres LXXXIV, while Nicholas Bernatowicz was crowned King Buckwheat LXXXIV during the annual coronation ceremony at the Craig Civic Center.

At the center of the festival, however, remains the food tradition that gave the celebration its name.

Buckwheat was historically an important crop in Preston County, and the festival began in 1938 as a homecoming centered around the fall harvest. Buckwheat flour was used to make the thin cakes that became closely associated with the region, traditionally served with syrup and sausage.

Nearly nine decades later, volunteers continue serving buckwheat cakes and sausage throughout festival week in the Community Building, keeping one of the event’s oldest traditions alive alongside the newer attractions that have been added through the years.

A historical marker in Kingwood also recognizes the local connection, noting that Preston County farmers helped popularize buckwheat cakes in 1938 after growing the crop and milling it into flour.

What began as a community harvest celebration has since grown into a five-day festival that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Kingwood each year. Even as the event has expanded, the combination of agriculture, volunteerism, food and community traditions continues to define the Preston County Buckwheat Festival.

The next Preston County Buckwheat Festival is scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, 2027.

Below are scenes from this year’s Preston County Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood, highlighting the crowds, traditions and activities that helped make the 84th celebration another memorable year. Photos courtesy of the Preston County Buckwheat Festival.