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Parkersburg Homecoming 2023: Annual community festival well-loved by locals

By Brett Dunlap 5 min read

PARKERSBURG -- The 32nd annual Parkersburg Homecoming Festival will bring it home Aug 18-19 at Point Park.

The festival will be held at Point Park to take advantage of the scenic Riverfront Park Amphitheater where many of the musical acts will be held.

"Everything is going to be down at the Point Park area," said Parkersburg Homecoming President Kyle Pierce. "It is a great location and we are trying to utilize the riverfront. We have a big stage down by the waterfront for all our entertainment."

The park will open at 4 p.m.

The festival will include Kids Fest, which will include free inflatables and games, amusement rides, bingo and vendors, and an alpaca petting area both days of the festival, among others.

Matt VanFossen will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, Opening Ceremonies will be held at 7:45 p.m. and rising country music star Brandon Davis will perform at 8:30 p.m.

"Davis is an up and coming Country Music star on Facebook and TikTok," Pierce said.

On Saturday, the Grand Parade will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Market Street.

The 2023 West Virginia State Arm Wrestling Championship will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Point Park. Weigh-ins are from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Weight Classes are Men's Pro & Novice Right & Left: 154, 176, 198, 242 and 243+. Men's Masters (age 40+) Right & Left: 176, 242, 243+. Ladies Right Hand: Open. Kids Classes ages up to 17: TBD

The entry fee is $30 per arm/division. Kids are $5.

The Parkersburg Homecoming Majorette Festival, once a part of Homecoming, will return for the second year in a row. Majorette Queens will performing routines with batons at Point Park on Saturday, time to be determined.

"I think it is cool they are bringing that back," Pierce said.

A Batman cosplayer will be in the parade and at Point Park after the parade to meet kids and talk about being strong, Pierce said.

The 21st Annual Johnny Staats Bluegrass Festival will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday with Appalachian Hollow, followed by The Putnam Family at 5:15 p.m. and Johnny Staats & The Delivery Boys at 6:30 p.m.

The Rubber Ducky Derby Drawing will be held 8 p.m. Saturday at the Main Stage. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20. The first-place prize will be $5,000, second-place is $1,500, third-place is $300, fourth-place is $200 and fifth through 10th place is $100 a piece.

Tickets will be sold at the festival and during the parade.

Country music star Darryl Worley will perform 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the amphitheater. He is known for his hit "Have You Forgotten," a song about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The festival will close with fireworks at 10 p.m. Saturday.

Pierce said there will also be 14 food concessions available during the festival.

"We have every type of fair food that you can possibly want from funnel cakes to corn dogs, pizza, fries, deep fried pork rinds and more," he said.

Parking is limited downtown and Pierce says Easy Rider will bus people from parking lots at the old Southside K-Mart Plaza and Park Shopping Center to Second Street near the Blennerhassett Museum. There will be golf carts available there that can take people to the park entrance for a small donation from the museum and the Blennerhassett Hotel at regular intervals.

The festival remains a great community event for everyone with a lot of local support, Pierce said. The amusement and inflatable company is local as are a number of food vendors, he said.

"A lot of our food vendors and wagons are local and you are essentially supporting small businesses," he said. "There are not many out-of-town folks involved with the festival this year. About 90 percent of our food vendors are from Wood County. It is about supporting the hometown."

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

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Parkersburg Homecoming Schedule

Friday, Aug. 18

* 6 p.m.: The Matt VanFossen Band

* 7:45 p.m.: Opening Ceremonies

* 8:30 p.m.: Brandon Davis

* 6-8 p.m.: Kids Fest

* 5-11 p.m.: Bingo

***

Saturday, Aug. 19

* 12:30 p.m.: Grand Parade

* Noon to 10 p.m.: Bingo

* 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Mid-Ohio Valley Model Railroad Club Open House

* 4-8 p.m.: 21st Annual Johnny Staats Bluegrass Festival

* 4 p.m.: Appalachian Hollow

* 5:15 p.m.: The Putnam Family

* 6:30 p.m.: Johnny Staats and The Delivery Boys

* 8:30 p.m.: Darryl Worley -- "Have WE Forgotten"

* 10 p.m.: Fireworks

***

Saturday, Aug. 19, on the Riverfront

* 1 p.m.: WV State Arm Wrestling Championship

* 8 p.m.: Rubber Ducky Derby Contest

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Easy Rider Bus Schedule

South Side Kroger and Park Shopping Center

* Friday: 6-11 p.m.

* Saturday: 2 p.m. to midnight

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A cart shuttle service to Point Park will be provided during the Parkersburg Homecoming celebration this weekend.

The pick-up and drop-off points will be at the Blennerhassett Hotel and the Blennerhassett Museum.

The service, by donation, will be in a golf cart and will be provided from 5-10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, and from 2-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19.

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