CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — (OTCID:PTBS) – Potomac Bank is pleased to join with the Board of Directors of the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival today for a special announcement that will continue to provide a major boost to this annual community tradition.
“Today marks an unprecedented occasion in the history of the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival as Potomac Bank continues their partnership with the Festival,” according to festival board president Mary Beth Blair. “In 2019, for the first time ever, we had a business step up to provide a major financial boost to our festival with their commitment to join our organization in promoting our rich agricultural history by becoming our presenting sponsor. That was Potomac Bank. Uniquely, our roots are both tied to orchardists in the eastern panhandle – with the bank’s reaching as far back as 1871. The Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival celebrates the role that apple orchards play in our past, present, and future of our region. Combining these two powerful organizations whose origins are similar has resulted in great success!”
According to Potomac Bank President & CEO Alice Frazier, a few short years after the end of the Civil War, a group comprised of 38 far-sighted Jefferson County, West Virginia farmers, orchardists, and business leaders saw the need for a bank to serve as a principal stabilizing influence on Jefferson County. They pooled their resources and founded Bank of Charles Town. Potomac Bank recently adopted its new name after 154 years as Bank of Charles Town.
Frazier said, “Our recent renaming from Bank of Charles Town to Potomac Bank reflects our strategic growth over the past 155 years, plus our commitment to all the communities we serve in the Eastern Panhandle and throughout the Potomac River region. We are the same community bank with a new name that represents our branch network more accurately.”
Blair then announced the renewed partnership by saying, “because of the bank’s unwavering commitment over the past 7 years of both financial and human resources, providing up to 50 volunteers each year at festival events, The Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival is honored to name them once again as the overall Presenting Sponsor of our 4-day festival, and we are very happy they will partner with us another 3 years.”
Frazier added that she and the bank’s Board of Directors have been pleased with this partnership and the opportunity to increase the bank’s involvement in an event with such a rich heritage and that celebrates the very heart of their organization.
“The Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival is the premier community event in the Eastern Panhandle, and we are proud to renew our partnership as the Presenting Sponsor,” stated Frazier. “Our employees enjoy volunteering at the Festival because of the family-friendly atmosphere and community spirit. The Festival is lots of fun and inspires a sense of community pride that is rare these days. We invite all our friends and neighbors to make plans to visit the in October.”
Blair said that the festival is blessed to not only have Potomac Bank continue as the Presenting Sponsor for the next three years, but also gave credit to the many other businesses and individuals in the community who have been Major Event Sponsors for the festival weekend. “Without all of these faithful businesses and individuals’ continued support, the festival would not have been able to provide this long-standing tradition in our community all of these years. The board looks forward to celebrating the 47th anniversary of the festival this fall and many more in the future.”
Syrah George, Queen Pomona XLVI of Martinsburg, was on hand for the presentation of the new logo for the festival. Board members of both BCT and the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival were also in attendance for the announcement.
This year, the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival will be celebrating its 47th festival, October 15-18, with events and activities throughout the Eastern Panhandle. The theme for this year’s festival not only aligns with the 250th birthday of our nation, but also with the shared origins of the bank and the festival – “From our orchards to your family – An all-American Celebration”. Blair shared with all those in attendance that they are gearing up for another great festival in 2026, with some new features and possible new activities during the weekend. First up for the festival is the selection of the 47th Queen Pomona and her Court, which takes place in April.
About Potomac Bank
Potomac Bank was founded in 1871 as Bank of Charles Town and renamed Potomac Bank on November 3, 2025. The Bank conducts operations through its nine-branch network and one loan production office serving the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, Washington County, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. The Bank offers comprehensive financial solutions through its consumer and commercial banking divisions, Trust, Wealth, and BCT Investments divisions, and its Residential Lending mortgage division. The Bank is also proud to serve its communities as a Small Business Administration (SBA) Preferred Lender. Over the past several years, the Bank has received many awards and recognitions, including American Banker’s “Top 200 Community Banks” and “Best Banks to Work For”, the Martinsburg Journal-News “Best of the Best” award, and the LoudounNow “Loudoun’s Favorite” award.
The Company’s shares are quoted on the OTCID marketplace under the symbol “PTBS.” For more information about Potomac Bank, visit www.potomac.bank.
About MSAHF
The Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival celebrates the apple industry- a valued part of the heritage of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Held every third weekend in October, it has become a treasured homecoming with festivities spanning over multiple days.
In the fall of 1979, business and community leaders in the Eastern Panhandle came together with the intention of creating a “signature event” to include all five counties of the broader area, which would become a staple of the Mountain State’s culture.
From this initial idea, the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival board set about organizing contests, entertainment and craft shows that showcase the apple orchard heritage of the area.
Our Queen Pomona who serves as the ambassador of our festival was chosen for the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival Queen because Pomona was the uniquely Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards. Pomona watches over and protects fruit trees and cares for the cultivation, and Pomona comes from the Latin word pomum, “fruit” specifically orchard fruit.
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SOURCE Potomac Bank
