Kump Center Set to Host Popular Spanish Summer Camp

ELKINS--The Kump Education Center will again host an exciting, week-long summer Spanish language camp, providing fun and educational opportunities for area youth. This year, the popular Spanish Camp theme is La Navidad en Julio (Christmas in July) and will celebrate all the wonderful Spanish traditions aligned with the holidays. The camp is designed for children ages 5-11 and will immerse participants in culture, foods, and arts.

Spanish Camp is scheduled for July 20-24, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, and is under the direction of Leah Devine. This is the fourth year she has led this engaging summer camp at the KEC.

Devine currently teaches Spanish at Elkins High School. Her 20 years of Spanish teaching experience include middle and high school, as well as Spanish summer camps, ranging from lower elementary at The Arts Center to week-long Spanish Immersion camps for high schoolers. She also directed a Spanish camp for elementary and middle school-age youth in coordination with Mountain Laurel Learning Cooperative (MLLC) in Tucker County.

​“I am looking forward to creating a fun and engaging experience with a second language. I am excited to welcome new and returning campers. No prior knowledge of Spanish is needed, just an excitement for learning through cooking, art, and outdoor play,” said Devine.

"Participants will learn about secular and religious traditions that take place in December," said Devine. "We'll bike and roller skate for a 'Patinata', a pre-Christmas gathering in Venezuela where kids and families roller skate and bike together. We will also hear the songs of 'Las Posadas', a celebration where children and families led by children dressed as Mary and Joseph go house to house, asking to enter. At the last house, they are welcomed in and there is a celebration with food, dancing, and a piñata."

​Spanish Camp will take place at the Gov. Kump House in Elkins. Enrollment is limited to sixteen, so registration before July 1 is suggested. Tuition for the week-long camp is $300, which includes lunch and snacks. There is limited scholarship assistance available this summer thanks to Kump Education Center donors. Please visit kumpeducationcenter.org for more information and registration materials.

Pies for Preservation Annual Pie Auction and Open House

Elkins—The Kump Education Center’s annual Pie Auction fundraiser, Pies for Preservation, will be Saturday, June 27 from 12-3pm, with the auction starting at 1pm.

Visitors will enjoy fiddle and banjo tunes played by The Casseday Brothers, talented young musicians from Elkins. “I heard them practicing when I recently visited the Art’s Center and was blown away by their skills. I knew they would be a great fit for our event”, said KEC Administrative Coordinator, Sara Gladwell.

This year’s event will also feature local craft vendors selling goods ranging from stained glass to homemade paper that can be planted to grow flowers. KEC board member, Laura Santmyer, invited vendors from this year’s Ramps and Rails Festival and has worked tirelessly to ensure the success of Pies for Preservation.

The historic Kump House will be open for free tours to showcase the beautiful craftsmanship of the 101-year-old home. Volunteer docents are eager to share the history and legacy of the home with curious visitors.

Come bid on sweet and savory pies, listen to music, tour the house, and snack on Kiwanis’ cotton candy; it will be an afternoon well spent!

Proceeds from the auction support the KEC mission of free public educational opportunities, such as lectures, tutoring, immersive wetland experiences, and preservation of the historic property.

Learn more at kumpeducationcenter.org or by visiting our Facebook page. The Kump Education Center is located at 401 Randolph Avenue, across from Kroger. Parking is accessible off Seneca Road.

Tree Talks to Explore Our Central Appalachian Forests

Date: January 20, 2026

Contact: Nanci Bross-Fregonara, Elkins Tree Board, fregonarafamily@cebridge.net

ELKINS-The Elkins Tree Board and Kump Education Center are sponsoring a new Tree Talks Lecture Series, that begins on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. This series will gather experts and community members to explore various aspects of our Appalachian woodlands, from their biological uniqueness to multi-generational ways to celebrate their beauty. The first of three lectures, “Under Pressure: A Tale of Two Salamanders,” will feature Lacy Rucker, Biological Scientist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

Rucker’s talk will discuss why the Appalachian Mountains are considered a biodiversity hotspot and are frequently referred to as the salamander capital of the world. Unfortunately, logging and subsequent unnaturally extreme wildfires that occurred between the 1880s and 1910s across West Virginia are believed to have shaped the distributions of some salamanders, including the Cheat Mountain salamander. Her presentation will cover how these historical impacts, habitat fragmentation, destruction, and climate change continue to threaten salamanders.

Other lectures in the series include: “Exploring Woods with Wonder: Multi-Generational Ways to Share the Outdoors” with Valerie Hart and Kate Reed, co-owners of the non-profit Wonder & Grow and coordinators of the Randolph County Outdoors program, on Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m. and “Forest Invaders: How Invasives Wreak Woodland Havoc” with Michelle Fonda, Private Lands and Invasive Species Biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Wednesday, May 6, at 7 p.m.

All lectures in the series are free and open to the public and take place in the historic Kump House located at 401 Randolph Ave., Elkins (across from Kroger). Parking is available in the back and accessible by Seneca Road.

For more information about the event, visit kumpeducationcenter.org. For information about the Elkins Tree Board, visit cityofelkinswv.com/city-government/boards-commissions/tree-board/.

CUTLINE:

The Tree Talks Lecture Series at the Kump Education Center will feature three monthly lectures beginning Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the historic Kump House, Elkins. Speakers include, from left to right: Lacy Rucker, Biological Scientist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station; Kate Reed and Valerie Hart, co-owners of Wonder and Grow; and Michelle Fonda, Private Lands and Invasive Species Biologist, WVDNR.