UP: To the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, which is on display at City Park through Monday. The Wall is the centerpiece of the Veterans Labor Day in the Park 2011, a celebration of local veterans. The Wall is a three-fifths replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., complete with the names of the more that 58,000 people killed in the war.
UP: To the volunteers who helped put up the Traveling Memorial Wall when it arrived at City Park and to the volunteers who are making up the Wall's Honor Guard during its stay.
UP: To Steve Nicely, the longtime president and CEO of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau who announced he will retire in September 2012. Nicely has been in his position since 1985, and has done much work to make the Mid-Ohio Valley a tourism destination.
DOWN: To Joshua Greene, a 27-year-old Parkersburg man who was arrested for running naked through a crowded parking lot in Bristol, Tenn., Aug. 27 before a NASCAR race. Greene was caught by police in a nearby campground, and a search of his car revealed a wild raccoon in a plastic tote bag in the back seat. Jonnay Houser, Greene's girlfriend, said the pair captured the animal and were going to keep it as a pet. Greene is charged with public intoxication, indecent exposure and illegal possession of a wild animal.
UP: To Thursday's official opening of the Fort Neal Skate Park. The $300,000 park, which has been under construction since a May groundbreaking, will give skateboarders a place to ride-away from downtown businesses. It looks as if it already is a popular spot with skateboarders.
DOWN: To the ongoing dispute that has at least temporarily closed the Valley Beauty School on Avery Street. This past Tuesday, several former students and instructors staged a protest in front of the business because of what they called unfair business practices. Since former Robert Bhavnani's death in July, the school has had several problems, including 11 complaints within the past two weeks. The West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists and the state's Attorney General's office have been looking into the situation.
