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City official outlines Morgantown arts department, city-run venues and visitor impact
Summary
In the inaugural City of Morgantown podcast, Arts and Cultural Development Director Vincent Kitch described the department’s operations overseeing the Metropolitan Theatre, Morgantown History Museum, Eastern Roller Mill and the Ruby Amphitheater and cited visitor and economic impacts.
Vincent Kitch, Morgantown’s Arts and Cultural Development Director, told the City of Morgantown’s podcast that the department operates several civic cultural facilities and supports local arts groups.
"We operate the Metropolitan Theatre, which has been here for over 100 years," Kitch said, noting the theater is city-owned and is primarily rented to local performing groups and touring promoters. "We have probably between 25 and 35,000 people who come through the Metropolitan Theatre on any given year, and the place is rented between 120 and 150 days out of the year."
Kitch also described the Morgantown History Museum’s collection and the city’s recent acquisition of the Eastern (Easton) Roller Mill, which will be programmed and opened to the public as a sister facility to the museum. "Just this year, the city took over ownership of the Easton Roller Mill," he said.
On the riverfront, Kitch called the Ruby Amphitheater "the jewel of Morgantown," saying the Ruby Summer Concert Series has run four years and now attracts roughly 55,000 people annually, including visitors from other states and abroad. "We have people from over 20 states, international visitors, 55,000 people a year in the park," he said.
Kitch linked events to local economic activity. He described evenings when downtown restaurants are busy and hotels are booked on concert nights, and he highlighted sales by food trucks and other local vendors as money that "goes back into the economy."
He said the arts department works with local artists and arts organizations, manages public art projects, and serves as a support system to grow cultural programming in Morgantown.
The podcast segment closed with Kitch encouraging residents to follow venue social channels and volunteer opportunities listed on the city website.
The city-produced podcast did not provide a broadcast date on-air; listeners were asked to follow the show’s social media for updates and to submit questions.
