A staged reenactment of the celebrated roadkill.

If you've got a steel stomach of Andrew Zimmern proportions, head down to Marlinton, West Virginia, for the 20th annual RoadKill Cook-off on September 25. There you'll taste some original street food, like squirrel gravy over biscuits and teriyaki-marinated bear. Yes, bear.

To be clear, the fare served at this bizarre food festival won't be scraped off of the country roads, sporting fresh tire marks...because that would be gross and break lots of health code violations. But the cook-off tries to remain true to its name by requiring contestants to use animals that you commonly see splattered streetside. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2010-09-09T12:34:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/7/15/83316/4693

Summer is like halfway over, so if you haven’t had at least a dozen hot dogs by now you need to get moving. West Virginia wants to help you out with your personal hot dog quotient, as they are putting the final touches on the preparation for the 6th Annual West Virginia Hot Dog Festival on Saturday, July 31.

The state has its own regional hot dog delicacies, and there are plenty of roadside stands and shacks that have been serving up tube meat delicacies for decades. Places like Stewarts Original Hot Dogs, Frostop Drive-In, and Hillbilly Hot Dogs are just three of many that will be making an appearance in just a couple weeks. Festival organizers are bringing at least a dozen vendors from the area to Pullman Square in Huntington, so that you can conveniently overindulge in one location. ]]> kjb 2010-07-15T13:15:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/23/73154/5365

For fans of space, rockets and the movie "October Sky", it's time to make the pilgrimage to Coalwood, West Virginia, for the 10th anniversary of the October Sky Festival. The festival celebrates local hometown hero, Homer Hickam, the author who inspired the film about his childhood adventures involving rocketry.

Festival attendees will enjoy model rocket launches from nearby "Cape Coalwood," and performers from across the state will provide a backdrop of bluegrass.

The festival starts at 10 am on October 4 and it's free. Shuttle Astronaut Tom Jones will also be on hand to share his space experience, and NASA is even bringing a moon rock for guests to check out. After the click, check out an exceedingly earnest video tour of 2007's fest.]]> kjb 2008-09-23T12:30:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/17/72513/1012

If our other rafting suggestions haven't done it for you, maybe this one will get you moving. ACE Adventure Center in West Virginia has rock climbing, biking, kayaking, horseback riding and more on a 1,400-acre resort.

The center runs rafting trips on different sections of the New River. Each trip varies in difficulty, with some for beginners and some for those who can handle class V and class V+ rapids. For those just starting out, trips in 16-foot rafts make the ride a little more stable and comfortable, so there's no reason to sit on the shore.

With only two weeks until the 4th of July, it's not too late to get there for the holiday weekend. Three of ACE's rafting trips on the Upper New River will be half of the usual price, and there are a couple of discounted options on the Lower New River. The cheapest start around $100.

Related Stories:
· ACE Adventure Center [Official Site]
· Summer Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Sleestak66]]]> kjb 2008-06-17T11:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/8/141345/2900

On Monday morning, the future for JetAmerica looked pretty grim, but we were holding out hope that John Weikle could get his airline aloft. But after Skybus went down in flames, he decided to pull the plug on the new project.

Charleston Area Alliance President Matt Ballard says fundraising for the project has stopped, and the Daily Mail quotes Weikle as saying checks are going back to investors. That's the end of Jet America for now.

Meanwhile Ballard says a lack of leadership on national energy policy is what's killing airlines these days, not a bogus business model:

I think all of the investors here in the local area still believe in John Weikle's ultra-low cost carrier model. In fact, there were many who despite the Skybus announcement wanted to move forward...I believe John will make this model work in the US; it works for Air Asia and Ryanair.

Related Stories:
· Skybus Founder Says Refunds of Public Money Coming [Daily Mail]
· What the Skybus Shutdown Means for Jet America [Jaunted]
· Jet America coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-04-08T14:14:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/7/112459/8007

Skybus plans to file for bankruptcy in Delaware today, and that has a lot of people in West Virginia nervous. How's that? The founder of the 'bus, John Weikle, is now at work on JetAmerica, an ultra-LCC set to take off from Charleston in 2009.

Among those sweating is Yeager Airport Director Rick Atkinson:

[The Skybus shutdown] is like throwing a wet blanket on plans for Jet America...I don't see how we could go forward with this model.

Also worried is at least one local business leader--who's now frozen some of that seed money his group pledged to Jet America:

There's no way we would have done this if I didn't think Skybus was successful.

For his part, Jaunted pen pal Matt Ballard hasn't given up on the idea of Jet America. But we have to wonder: Does it count as an airline shuttering if the carrier never took a flight?

Related Stories:
· Weikle's Skybus Ceases Operations [Charleston Gazette]
· Top Secret Airline Watch: More Details on Jet America [Jaunted]
· Jet America coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-04-07T11:37:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/3/113751/6790

Though it's still a long way off, more details are leaking out about the planned ultra-low cost carrier JetAmerica. At present, we'll be waiting until at least 2009 to see some actual planes.

Until then, The Charleston Gazette has the details on what to expect:

The paint scheme--called the aircraft livery--features a tail with a blue background and white stars. The rest of the back-end of the plane will be red, with a white outline. The airline's name...and website will also be on the side of the plane.

While the model of plane is still under wraps, the aircraft will hold at least 120 passengers, one investor said.

As far as we can tell, president John Weikle, pictured, is still shopping around for a $40 million investment to help things along. And Matt Ballard--who we spoke with recently--says destinations and more information should be released soon.

Related Stories:
· Jet America Details Still Under Wraps [Charleston Gazette]
· Jaunted Interviews: Matt Ballard Fills Us in on Project New Horizons [Jaunted]
· Top Secret Airline Watch: Yeager LCC Will Be Called Jet America [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-04-03T11:39:09-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/