Nature Wonder Weekend Returns To North Bend State Park With Wild Food Tradition
CAIRO, W.Va. — A West Virginia tradition centered on discovering what grows in the woods and learning how some of it can make its way to the table returns to nearby North Bend State Park this weekend.
The 56th annual Nature Wonder Weekend is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 11 through 13, at North Bend State Park in Ritchie County.
Known to generations of participants as Wild Foods Weekend, the event brings together guided hikes, wild plant identification, foraging programs, educational workshops and a competition built around foods found in nature.
The weekend gives participants opportunities to head into the woods with experienced guides and learn more about edible plants, medicinal uses, plant identification and ways wild foods can be prepared.
Among this year’s featured presenters is West Virginia naturalist, author and nature photographer Bill Beatty of Wellsburg, who has decades of experience studying Appalachian edible wild plants.
Beatty is scheduled to lead a Saturday morning walk focused on edible, medicinal and poisonous plants found at North Bend. His Saturday evening program, “Edible Wild Plants: Nature’s Medicine,” will explore the traditional uses of plants and the stories behind their botanical names.
The weekend also includes one of its signature traditions, the Wood Faust National Wild Foods Association Wild Foods Contest. Participants can enter dishes and drinks made using natural ingredients, with categories including wild food, wild cake and wild drink.
The event is designed for both experienced foragers and people who are simply interested in learning more about plants and wild foods.
Registration for Nature Wonder Weekend is $35, with meals and overnight lodging available separately. North Bend State Park offers lodge rooms, cabins and campsites for those planning to spend the weekend.
North Bend State Park, located near Cairo and Harrisville, also offers hiking, fishing and access to the North Bend Rail Trail, giving visitors additional ways to explore the park during their stay.
Nature Wonder Weekend is sponsored by the National Wild Foods Association, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and North Bend State Park.
More information, the full weekend schedule and registration details are available on the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Nature Wonder Weekend page.
