Memories of the Valley: FestivALL Oral Histories is a selection of personal stories captured during FestivALL 2015. Eric Douglas recorded dozens of oral histories from Charleston and Kanawha Valley residents. Memories of the Valley includes short excerpts from these recordings.
The premiere for Memories of the Valley was held at the West Virginia State University Economic Development Center in Charleston, West Virginia on May 26, 2016.
FestivALL sponsored the collection of the oral histories. FestivALL is city-wide and multi-arts and serves its mission through its 12-day June FestivALL, an October weekend FestivALL Fall and other programming throughout the year.
Participants were able to talk about anything they wanted, but many of the memories included stories of Charleston and the Kanawha Valley which are the focus of the Memories of the Valley presentation. Participants received copies of their own stories to share with their family.
FestivALL and the West Virginia State University Economic Development Center Creators Program sponsored the premiere. It was part of the Memorial Day pre-FestivALL activities.