Members of the West Virginia Youth Conservation Camp pose at the new Almost Heaven welcome swing at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley. (Photo Provided)

RIPLEY — One of the latest Almost Heaven swings has been installed at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley where state and local officials held a ribbon cutting on Thursday.

The swings are a project of the West Virginia Division of Tourism and are placed around West Virginia to showcase the natural beauty of the Mountain State.

The swing in Ripley was installed through a collaboration of the Ripley Convention and Visitors Bureau, West Virginia Tourism and the Cedar Lakes Conference Center.

Among the participants in the ribbon cutting were Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt and Holli Vanater, director of Cedar Lakes.

The Ripley swing coincided with West Virginia Day, which was on Friday and marks the formation of West Virginia as the 35th state in 1863, Brenda Mobley, executive director of the Visitors Bureau said. Visitors are asked everyone to share their swing photos on social media using #Almostheaven.

From left, Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt, Cedar Lakes Conference Center Director Holli Vanater and Brenda Mobley, executive director of the Ripley Convention and Visitors Bureau, celebrate the latest Almost Heaven welcome swing at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley. (Photo Provided)

Carter Lumber of Ripley provided the installation materials for the swing.

At least five other swings have been erected in the last week. They include Big Ditch Lake in Webster County near Cowen, 4-H Camp Pioneer in Randolph County, at the Miracle Mountain Wilderness Park in McDowell County, the Tater Hill Overlook in Wyoming County and Drawdy Falls in Boone County.

The swings were started under former Gov. Jim Justice.

Other swings in the region are at Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, Sportsman’s Park in Elizabeth and Tu-Endie-Wei State Park in Point Pleasant.

A new Almost Heaven swing has been installed in Ripley and affords a picturesque photo op at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center. (Photo Provided)