At the beginning of the new year when the weather is cold, we start planning for warmer temperatures and the time when beautiful flowers come back to downtown Parkersburg.

The flowers you expect to see every year come from two different projects, adopt-a-pot and the light post flower baskets, and both go up mid-May after the last frost and stay up through the end of September. The contributions of so many people are needed to bring these projects to life.

Our adopt-a-pot project has been around for many years. There are several groups and single flower pot locations around downtown Parkersburg. We cannot possibly plant, water, and weed them all ourselves throughout the spring and summer, so we ask for our community’s help.

If you are looking for a way to give back with your time or know of a group that needs a volunteer project, this is the one for you. Go on to our website downtownpkb.com/projects-1-1 and scroll down to adopt-a-pot. Click on the link to download the form. Fill it out and mail it to Downtown PKB, PO Box 1671, Parkersburg, WV 26102. You can also email the information needed on the form to jessica@downtownpkb.com.

The flowers will be planted on our May cleanup day on May 11 from 9-11 a.m. If you are unable to make it that day and want to plant your flowers, you can pick up your flowers the day before, or we can have someone plant them for you.

We will thank our sponsors with a banner hung downtown, a sign with their name in the flowerpot, and a post on our Facebook page.

The light post flower baskets are exactly what their name says they are. They are large baskets of flowers that hang on the decorative light posts lining Market Street from the 300 to 800 blocks. We look for sponsors for each of the 34 baskets to help pay for the flowers, soil, planting, and watering of the baskets.

We were very fortunate to find sponsors for all baskets. Thank you to the following: Atkinson Bonding, Balanced Solutions LLC, Bernard McDonough Foundation, Blair & Kim Couch, CFI Engineering Company, City of Parkersburg, Community Bank, Conley Law Office PLLC, Coplin Health Systems, DeBarr Trucking Co, Inc, EPI Insulation Company, First Mutual Bank, Hall Financial Advisors, Jim Full (In Memory Of), John and Lynn Nicholson, Kuraray America Inc, Larry & Rachel Johnson, Lindsey & Bret Piersol, Maka Mia Pizza (Vienna), MEPB, AC, McHappy’s Bake Shoppe, MOV Insurance, Napoli’s, Parkersburg Pride, Richard Newhart, DDS, RVP Properties, Simmons Insurance (L. Michael Simmons), St. Joseph Landing (not affiliated w/SJ Recovery), SOS Office Furniture, The Bosley Cos., United Bank and Wanda and B.J. Meeks (in memory of).

We will also acknowledge our sponsors with a beautiful, hand-painted metal sign made by the artists at Wood County Society’s ArtBeat Studio in each basket.

For more information on our flower projects or any other Downtown PKB project and event, go to our website at downtownpkb.com or Facebook page (@downtownpkb) or call us at (304) 865-0522.

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Jessica Strickler is the events and marketing manager for Downtown PKB.