Kimball’s Fall Festival Revs Up Recovery: Motorcycles, Music, and Hope Return to McDowell County
In the hollers of McDowell County, where February’s floods left scars on infrastructure and spirits, Kimball’s Fall Festival roared back to life on September 27, 2025, drawing crowds with music, vendors, and the Head of the Dragon motorcycle and sports-car ride.
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In the hollers of McDowell County, where February’s floods left scars on infrastructure and spirits, Kimball’s Fall Festival roared back to life on September 27, 2025, drawing crowds with music, vendors, and the Head of the Dragon motorcycle and sports-car ride. Sponsored by the Council of the Southern Mountains, the event turned the small town into a hub of activity, attracting riders from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York for a loop of roughly 90 miles through southern West Virginia’s winding roads. Mayor Adam Gianato highlighted the festival’s role in showcasing Kimball’s grit. “As the mayor I’m very much pleased to see a lot of the folks that come in here … we get a lot of positive feedback through our Facebook page for folks that want to come in and benefit the community,” he said.
Despite a modest municipal budget, the event underscores local efforts to confront persistent challenges: economic decline, population loss, and an aging demographic—conditions further strained by the floods earlier this year.
Funds raised through the festival and the ride support recovery initiatives. The Head of the Dragon ride, now in its eighth year, served as the festival’s centerpiece, blending adrenaline with community purpose. Executive Director Randal Johnson of the Council of the Southern Mountains emphasized its importance: “I think that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to help overcome the causes and effects of poverty, and with our loss of population, with our lack of industry, it’s desperately needed.
Our population is growing older, kids are moving away … we’ve got to be here to support the people that are here to stay.” Visitors praised the route’s scenic challenges, while locals mingled amid vendors and live music, fostering connections in a county where such gatherings provide rare economic and social sparks. Attendance figures were not released, but the strong out-of-state draw points to promising tourism potential. This revival signals resilience for McDowell, aligning with ongoing hazard-mitigation and infrastructure efforts.
As Kimball pushes forward, events like this prove that even small towns can pull a crowd—and hope—for bigger comebacks.