Bridgeport High School alumna Cheyenne Woods is among royalty for this year’s Mountain State Forest Festival. Kicking off today in Elkins, the festival features carnival attractions, lumberjack competition and grand feature parade, among other festivities. Dedicated to the preservation and conservation of West Virginia’s natural resources – and with a rich 88-year-old history – the festival draws upwards of 100,000 people to the area annually.

 

“I am completely honored to be selected as a princess for this year’s Forest Festival,” said Woods, a 2017 graduate of BHS, “I never honestly believed I would be nominated for such a position and I am very humbled to be representing as a princess.”

 

Woods is among 40 princesses selected from throughout West Virginia to accompany Maid Silvia LXXXII Alia Danae Figueroa. She will make several appearances at the famed Elkins festival – running through Oct. 7.

 

“I have never been involved with the Mountain State Forest Festival before or attended the festival,” she said. “This year is going to be an eye-opening experience and I hope to go back from now on.”

 

Festival highlights in which Woods will be involved are the distinguished guest dinner, grand feature parade, Queen’s Ball and Coronation, an elaborate ceremony set for Oct. 5. For those events, Woods will be attired in a handmade gown and head piece.

 

“My dress is absolutely beautiful! While I cannot say much about it, I am very excited for everyone to see all the wonderful princesses in their gorgeous dresses,” she said.

 

While a student at BHS, Woods was a member of the BHS Key Club her freshman year, a member of the “Pride of the Tribe” Marching Band all four years and served as band president her senior year. She was also part of the BHS Steel Drum Band her senior year. Woods was also a dancer at In Step School of Dance and Fitness, learning seven different forms of dance. She also spent plenty of time serving as a volunteer firefighter, training and responding to calls.

 

“I got voted into Stonewood Fire Department when I was 16 years old, so this October will be the four-year anniversary of being a firefighter,” she said. “My dad worked for Clarksburg (Fire Department) for 25 years, so I was always at the station and absolutely loved being in that atmosphere. When I started training and actually getting to go on calls, the adrenaline kicked in and I fell in love with the ability of saving lives and helping those in need. I am now certified in 10 different aspects of fire and rescue – and now that I’m in college – try to make calls when I am home.”

 

The daughter of Ron and Tracey Marie Woods, she is currently a sophomore at West Virginia University, double majoring in psychology and sports & exercise psychology. Next semester, Woods plans to attend Pierpont Community & Technical College – along with WVU – to become an emergency medical technician (EMT).

 

“In the future, I plan on getting my doctorate in psychology and opening my own practice to help military personnel and first responders that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” she said.

 

See a schedule for the 82nd Mountain State Forest Festival HERE.