On June 20, 1863, West Virginia was created as a Union state during the midst of the Civil War.

Proud Mountaineers celebrate this anniversary every year as West Virginia Day, and Chief Logan State Park will be offering a bargain way to commemorate that day.

"This is the 140th Anniversary of West Virginia Day and Governor Manchin has authorized the parks to invite the public in for a bargain," said Steven Stone who works at Chief Logan State Park.

"People who visit the pool at Chief Logan State Park on Friday, June 20, to swim will get a free one day pass with each paid admission," said Bruce Collinsworth, director of the park. "This pass is good any day that the pool is open, by the way. So you basically get two days for the price of one, and the pass is good for any day of the season."

The Museum in the Park at Chief Logan State Park will also have its own celebration of West Virginia Day with an outdoor encampment on Saturday, June 21, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 22, from 1-6 p.m. All activities are free and the public is invited to attend and enjoy seeing history come to life.

In 1992 a small handful of local people interested in the history and heritage of Southern West Virginia began the Shawnee Trail, so that local school kids could see what life was really like when West Virginia was still Virginia and a wild and wooly frontier at that. The Shawnee Trail is set in the late 1700s era when what is now Logan County was a part of Montgomery County Virginia. (West Virginia not having been formed until 1863.) The trail gives youngsters an authentic glimpse into pioneer life when natives and pioneers sometimes struggled over land and livelihood.

Reenactors from the Shawnee Trail Associates based in Chapmanville, and the Fort Lee Scouts from Fort Randolph in Point Pleasant, will live and work on the museum grounds wearing period clothing emulating the second half of the 18th century, some 60 or more years before West Virginia statehood. Visitors will be able to witness the lifestyle, living conditions, occupations and recreations of these early West Virginians. The groups will demonstrate candle-dipping, outdoor cooking, blacksmithing, surveying, weaponry, flintlock firings, and more. The reenactors are also gifted storytellers and will relate authentic events and tales of the original inhabitants, both Native American and European. Many of the participants portray actual historic characters of the time period.

Children's craft classes will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Kids will be able to try their hand at making corn-husk dolls, basket weaving and beading.

Visitors also are encouraged to tour the Museum and see the exhibits on display. For more information about West Virginia Days at Museum in the Park, contact Elizabeth Williams, site manager for the facility, at (304) 792-7229.

The Museum in the Park is a regional cultural center showcasing the best in West Virginia history and the arts. It features changing exhibits and displays of artwork and historical items from the collections of the West Virginia State Museum and State Archives. One area of the museum is dedicated to local and regional history. It is operated and maintained by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and is located four miles north of Logan on West Virginia Route 10 at Chief Logan State Park. Museum hours are 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and 1-6 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information about the celebration contact Chief Logan State Park at 792-7125; email ChiefLogan@WVDNR.Gov or check out the web site www.chiefloganstatepark.com