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History is alive on Blennerhassett Island
Photo by Rachel Lane
Kody Reed, 15, used a piece of flint and steel to create a spark. Blowing on the dry fibers, ignites it into a fire, which he used to light a candle, burn a string, and set off a trap at the Rendezvous on the River.
May 12, 2008
PARKERSBURG — The 1840s came alive during the 19th annual Rendezvous on the River on Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park.
About 50 people associated with the West Virginia Muzzleloaders camped on the island for five days from last Tuesday through Saturday, said Linda Reed, chairperson for Rendezvous on the River. The group tries to keep any modern items hidden from public sight as visitors tour the island.
“There’s a living history. We get to show children what history used to be about,” said Patty Hughes of Charleston.
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Bluegrass Festival a big success
May 12, 2008
CAIRO, W.Va. — Despite the chilly and wet weather, the final day of the 14th Annual Bluegrass Festival at North Bend State Park ended on a high note.
Sunday’s lineup featured three groups at shelter No.
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Annual marble show offers kids chance to try old-fashioned game
May 12, 2008
VIENNA — The sixth annual Marble Show for the West Virginia Marble Collectors Club allowed children to learn to play marbles.
» Full Story
Family learns life lessons through illnesses
May 11, 2008
PARKERSBURG — For Mary Anderson, there is nothing more important than family.
» Full Story
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All things old
Thu, April 3, 2008 @ 12:53PM
As the saying goes, all things old become new again. That appears to be the same with music. Don't get me wrong, I still have a very soft spot for the songs of my childhood. There's not a time I hear "Karma Chameleon" I don't smile. Also, I do own the two disk George Michael's Greatest Hits. But do we really need a resurgence of New Kids On the Block? I will say, as a grade school girl, I had a love of their up-beat tempos and dance rhythms. Now, I think they need to say goodbye to their popular days. For those of us who want to have a flashback to big hair, acid wash and high-tops, the boys are making the rounds and appearances and are apparently going to release a comeback CD later this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this. By the way, anyone been Rick-rolled, yet?
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Cam Huffman
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Day 2 - Seeing The Sights
Sun, May 11, 2008 @ 5:38PM
Our first full day in Tokyo was filled with new foods and new sights. Today was the one day reserved for sightseeing before the business meetings start on Monday. The tour was interesting, but maybe more significant then the sights were the information we picked up along the way. Tokyo is a city of 12 million people in 750 sq miles, but during the workdays the population swells to over 30 million. One train station alone sees over 3 million passengers a day. More amazing was that a city of this size is incredibly clean. You have to look to find trash on the streets. People don’t toss anything to the curb. Even smokers carry a change purse-like holder to put their cigarette butts in after they are finished, they don’t toss them on the street.
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Rachel Lane
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Politics and gas prices
Tue, May 6, 2008 @ 4:54PM
Voting in West Virginia occurs May 13. Everyone go vote. You can visit the presidential candidates websites to learn their views on issues like the economy, but don't forget to check their voting record at a location like votesmart.org. If you don't think politics has anything to do with business, stop and consider the possible summer gas relief plan supported by Clinton and McCain. Economists say it will say the average gasoline used about $33 a year. While the money would be helpful for some people who have trouble getting to and from work, there's nothing to stop station owners, or the higher ups in the gasoline chain, from increasing the cost and pocketing the difference. Well, nothing but competetive rates with other stations. With gasoline prices and food prices, I don't think $11 a month will be much help to the families that have trouble driving to work in the morning. Many people will just drive more if prices are lower.
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Jess Mancini
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Living and dying by the political sword
Wed, April 30, 2008 @ 6:53AM
I was wondering when someone was going to cut to the chase. The Wood County Board of Education Tuesday rejected a local pay raise for teachers and service employees. "If you don't consider this issue an important one for the employees of Wood County, then I hope all of you enjoy the remainder of your board term, because I am certain the WVSSPA, the AFT and the WVEA will join together to see that we elect future board members who care for and about all the employees in Wood County,' said Vicki Squires, president of the service personnel association. Then this from Bob Mortgenstern, regional representative of the West Virginia American Federation of Teachers: "We're very upset with the direction the school board has chosen to go. We believe there has been a breakdown in trust. Unlike a bruise, this cut will take a long time to heal." The implication is watch out for the next election.
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Amy Mendenhall
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I Lost My Love in Baghdad by Michael Hastings
Mon, April 28, 2008 @ 10:31AM
The tragic true story story of love and loss upon the backdrop of war is told in Michael Hastings' memoir of his fiancee, Andi Parhamovich, in "I Lost My Love in Baghdad." Michael Hastings, a young reporter for Newsweek, meets and falls in love with Andi Parhamovich, a publicist for Air America in New York. Michael is sent to Baghdad to cover the war, and over the next year, their relationship changes and grows. When Andi decides to come to Baghdad to be with Michael by taking a job with the National Democratic Institute, the two's romance becomes stressed with worry about each other's lives and how to find time to be together amid the gunfire of war. Though they make plans for their future together and prospective marriage, Andi takes a mission to meet at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters, and her convoy is targeted and ambushed by insurgents.
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Jody Murphy
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True measure of devotion
Tue, May 6, 2008 @ 8:59AM
Daily readers should be well aware of this weeknd's burial serivce fo Cpl. Robert Mason, an 18-year-old Parkersburg man who perished in the Korean War. Mason was killed in action, but his body wasn't recovered until 2003. He was laid to rest in Belpre Saturday morning. Mason died in battle near the Chosin Resovoir in late 1950. Unlike Pat Putnam a famed boxing writer for Sports Illustrated who claimed to have fought in Korea, been a P.O.W. and earned numerous medals, including the Navy Cross, Mason was actually there. Guys like Putnam give men like Mason a black eye. It is disgrace Putnam, who died in 2005, wasn't exposed for the liar that he was. It also a shame the Boxing Writers Association of America has an award honoring Putnam. The Pat Putnam Award, launched in 2005, honors perseverance in overcoming adversity.
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Dave Payne
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Jason Ricci back in Pburg, May 29
Thu, April 17, 2008 @ 3:01PM
I know people who have driven across two states to hear Jason Ricci play. People won't do that for just anybody. When Ricci performs, it's more than just the energy and drive his performance, Jason Ricci is, simply put, one of the most innovative musicians alive. He is on the razor edge of harmonica innovation and certainly one of the most unique players today. At age 33, Ricci has already become a legend. By the time he was 21, he had won the Sonny Boy Blues Society contest, had performed on the main stage at the King Biscuit Blues Festival, been featured on the Memphis evening news, and had worked with Susan Tedeschi, Billy Gibson, and Bobby Little. As a dynamic teenage prodigy, he was relatively new to the instrument, but developed his skills quickly through hard work and practice. The bluesman/rocker from Portland, Maine, started playing harmonica at the age of 14 and soon began studying the work of the harmonica masters, especially Little Walter.
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Art Smith
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From space, Parkersburg is still a little fuzzy
Mon, April 28, 2008 @ 4:45PM
A few months ago I wrote a blog about how fuzzy the area was when viewed through images used by Google Earth and Google Maps. With some areas of the country you can zoom in with the popular software so tight that you feel like a peeping tom. Not so with the Mid-Ohio Valley. It was a blurry mess. In the January blog I used Marietta as an example and displayed the blurry images of downtown that were generated by the program. Since then, something has happen. I really doubt that Google pays any attention to what I write, but the images of Marietta are now clear. In fact they are stunning. You can read MARIETTA on the football field. You can see fences in yards. You can tell what color the cars on the roads are. You get the idea. Parkersburg is still a fuzzy mess.
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Jim Smith
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Most important issue?
Tue, April 29, 2008 @ 9:48AM
In this time of economic recession; war in Iraq; rising prices for food, gasoline and nearly everything else; and massive home mortgage foreclosures, let along who will be the Democratic nominee for president, are Miley Cyrus' photos in a woman's magazine so important as to dominate the national news cycle for two days? The 15-year-old pop star did something stupid, although not illegal, pornographic or more revealing than a swinsuit or formal gown. She foolishly posed, with her father present, for a photographer who is known for risque shots ... yep, that's dumb. The magazine, knowing the popularity of the teen star, used the photos to their greatest magazine sales advantage, making sure the national media knew the teen star was "showing skin" in the photo layout. The national media jumped on it, even questioning the propriety of the pose of the teenager with her father. Enough! It's called making a story for a story's sake.
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WV Marble Collectors Show
Belpre High School Prom 2008
Rendezvous on the River
Cake Decorating