News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will host a sanctioned Marble Tournament sponsored by the West Virginia Marble Shooters Association on Saturday, April 21, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston. The tournament is open to children from 7 to 14 years of age and all skill levels. The tournament is free.

Interested participants can come to the Culture Center as early as 8:30 a.m. Members of the West Virginia Marble Shooters Association (WVMSA) will be available to teach beginners how to shoot marbles from 9 – 11 a.m. The registration deadline is 10:30 a.m. and the tournament begins at 11 a.m. Tournament marbles will be provided.

The fourth annual competition, titled The A. James Manchin Memorial Marble Tournament, will result in both a boy and girl champion who will be eligible to go to the 89th annual National Marble Tournament in Wildwood, N.J., in June to compete for national honors, college scholarships and numerous prizes and awards.

The marble game played in the tournament is called Ringer. It is played by placing 13 marbles in the form of an “X” in a 10-foot circle with players alternating shots. National contest rules will apply in the competition and can be found by visiting the website www.nationalmarbletournament.org. Additionally, the WVMSA will have marbles for sale.

Pre-registration is encouraged. For more information about The A. James Manchin Memorial Marble Tournament, contact Chris Reed, museum education specialist for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 185.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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