The Festival Amphitheater will be home to the Freshwater Folk Festival and other community events. Photo by Matthew Patterson, USFWS.

Phase I of the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery Pilot Outdoor Classroom, the festival amphitheater, is complete. The amphitheater is handicapped accessible and includes a beautiful natural wood bandshell, stage and environmentally friendly benches (seating is available for 120 people) made from recycled plastic materials. The new facility will be available to the public for outdoor concerts, plays and movies and will serve as the centerpiece for the 5th Annual Freshwater Folk Festival in October 2009, being held in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of White Sulphur Springs. The amphitheater will also serve as a centerpiece for the pilot Outdoor Classroom which will include wetland habitats and a wetland boardwalk, hiking trails, handicapped accessible walking trails, stream restoration demonstration projects and the Aquarium of the Appalachians. If your group has an interest in using the amphitheater, please contact the hatchery at 304-536-1046.