CHAPMANVILLE - The sound of clogging taps doesn't have the same ring on tile flooring as it does on wood, but guests attending Pickin' in the Park Thursday evening were warm and dry.

The Pickin' in the Park program is temporarily being held in the old Chapmanville High School cafeteria thanks to the Logan County Commission and the generosity of the Town of Chapmanville.

Pickin' in the Park began several years ago as a program for area musicians to practice their music and performances. Meeting at any open picnic area in the park, the event soon grew a large following, which included many area seniors. To provide a dry place to meet, Chief Logan State Park allowed the program to convert the unused stables into a meeting place. The building was renovated to include heat, flooring, bathrooms, a stage, sound system and seating.

Unfortunately, the following of the program outgrew the building and the State Fire Marshall closed the building until it was brought up to fire code. Since the closure, the program had been meeting outside the stables.

The Logan County Commission has been aiding the program by providing funding and labor to bring the building up to code. Since the Commission also has other obligations more pressing, work on the building has been sporadic, leaving many of our elder citizens literally "out in the cold."

"We'd really like to thank Art Kirkendoll and the Town of Chapmanville for finding us a place," said George Frye, originator of the program said. "It's not the barn, but at least we're inside."

Frye said he had hopes of returning to the park sometime around the end of November.

"But until then, Pickin' in the Park will be held Thursday and Saturday evenings in Chapmanville," Frye said.

Pickin' in the Park begins around 6 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday evenings and, temporarily, at the old Chapmanville High School.