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STORYTELLER BIL LEPP
Bil Lepp is an award-winning storyteller, author, and recording artist. He’s the host of the History Channel’s Man Vs History series, the occasional host of NPR’s internationally syndicated Mountain Stage, and a contributing columnist to the West Virginia Gazette-Mail. Bil’s humorous, family friendly tall-tales and stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life.
Though a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, Lepp’s stories often contain morsels of truth which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. Audiences all across the country, from grade schools to corporate execs to the Comedy Central’s Hudson stage, have been delighted by Bil’s mirthful tales and delightful insights into everyday life. Bil’s books and audio collections have won awards including the PEN Steven Kroll Award for Children’s Book Writing, Parents’ Choice Gold awards, and awards from the National Parenting Publications Association, and the Public Library Association. He is also the recipient of the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folk honor.
“Just as New Jersey has Bruce Springsteen, West Virginia has…Bil Lepp.” – Goldenseal Magazine
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OLD-TIME MUSICIAN BEN TOWNSEND
An alumnus of Shepherd University’s Communications program, Ben Townsend is a keeper of West Virginia traditional music as well as an innovator who is not afraid to blend styles and explore new music.
A veteran of The Fox Hunt, Old Sledge, the Iron Leg Boys, the Hackensaw Boys, Ben Townsend has travelled across the country and around the world sharing his love of West Virginia traditional music. He has shared the stage with diverse artists from Ralph Stanley to the Henry Girls of County Donegal, Ireland to the Taiko drummers of Yamagata Prefecture, Japan and artists from Morocco as part of Mosaic Interactive’s cultural exchange.
Ben has done his best to maintain the traditions of West Virginia as he learned from his mentors including fiddlers Dave Bing and Earl White and banjo masters Riley Baugus and Ron Mullennex. Now he is helping to pass on the music by serving as a teacher and mentor in the West Virginia Humanities Council’s Folklife Apprenticeship program and also helping dozens of young people in West Virginia to have access to lessons through his new Traditions and Technology non-profit.
Most recently, Ben has connecting traditional music with modern, ambient and electronic music forms via digital modular synthesis and Ableton Live. He and brother Jimmy have been working on a project called Tabernacle in which they seek to combine Appalachian traditions with western classical traditions and modern technology to achieve something altogether new.
In addition to his music, Ben currently the pastor of two United Methodist Churches in the Potomac Highlands and completing a Master’s degree in divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary.
- Ben on Vandalia Creative
- Mosaic Project with Ben and Medhi
- Two Guys Named Ben (cross-country bicycling and banjo documentary)
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KIM FORRY and JAN SCOPEL
It is wonderful to welcome our friends Kim Forry and Jan Scopel home to Shepherdstown for the Festival this year. The two of them will host a dance demo and workshop to introduce folks to the principles of flatfooting and Appalachian dance. Now living in Anapollis, the two of them have performed at festivals, schools, and contra dances across the region sharing their love of dance.
Their styles have been influenced by team precision clogging like the Green Grass Cloggers of North Carolina and legendary flatfooters like Ira Bernstein, Eileen Carson Shatz, and Rodney Sutton.
Jan was a longtime member of the Footloose Cloggers of Washington, DC. Kim was a co-founder of the Feet First Cloggers of York, PA. Both toured internationally as team members and now, as solo step dancers. Kim and Jan have been regular ribbon winners in regional and national flatfooting contests, including the Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Clifftop, WV. Together they have led workshops at festivals, concerts, and venues including DelFest, the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage, Watermelon Park, and many more.
Kim is an experienced Square and Contra dance caller who loves teaching and introducing others to dance. Jan served as president of the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society for over ten years, and hosts the monthly Contra /Square Dance. He also plays the Irish bodhran and rhythm guitar.
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JOSH JIMMERSON
Joshua “Josh” Jimmerson is a banjoist from Leesburg, Georgia. With roots in the traditional black gospel rhythms and musical elements of South Georgia, he approaches Appalachian music with a unique reverence and personal touch. Though music has been a part of his life from birth, he started playing banjo in 2019 and took lessons from Casey Henry of Winchester, Virginia while attending Shepherd University.
At Shepherd, Josh majored in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on Sustainable Agriculture, working at Tabler Farm. After graduating in May 2023, he went to work for the USDA in New Hampshire. In Fall 2024, he joined the bluegrass/hip-hop group Gangstagrass on their Fall 2024 tour and continues to join the band on occasion. He has recently moved to Charleston, WV. As he plays and writes music, he aims to enrich audiences with songs that speak to the complexities of the American experience and hopefully draw people together in love and truth.
- Pullin’ Time
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Gangstagrass with Josh Reel
MOLLY & THE LATECOMERS
featuring Molly Sutter, Jen Fisher, Alissa Sumerano
Get ready to meet three of Shepherd’s most outstanding Appalachian Studies graduate students: Molly Sutter, Jen Fisher, and Alissa Sumerano. These three amazing women are not only smart and talented but they remind us why we titled our program Appalachian Studies & Communities. They are community-builders, advocates, and true citizens. Today they will share original songs about the importance of place and community.
West Virginia songs are often about leaving and yearning for home but Molly and the Latecomers weave a different tune. Through Appalachian harmonies, folk roots, and an occassional banjo, they sing of coming home and choosing to stay. Tonight they are joined by Chris Fisher (Jen’s husband) and Justin Heavener (Alissa’s husband). They said that while they are late to West Virginia, they got here as soon as they could.