Renegade Rebellion Country Music Festival premiered at the West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells on Saturday, July 9th. The festival was originally scheduled for last September but was postponed due to the pandemic. The festival provided a full day jam-packed with stellar artists.

The West Virginia Motor Speedway is located at 2 Matheny Dr in Mineral Wells, WV, and was recently reopened after closing in 2013. New manager and promoter, Cody Watson, along with support from speedway owners, PM Company in Vienna, have breathed new life into the track after a several hundred thousand dollar renovation. WVMS is a ⅝ mile dirt racing facility located along the Ohio River and Interstate 77 in Mineral Wells, WV, and is known as “The World’s Fastest Dirt Track.” The track first opened in 1985 and the first race was held in May of that year. Since then the track has operated off and on. WVMS is currently sponsored by many local companies and organizations and offers additional sponsorship opportunities.

Local solo artist Jake Binegar kicked the festival off with a mixture of originals and covers. Binegar has been playing music locally for about 10 years now and has been featured on a number of fairs’ and festivals’ lineups.

Arlo McKinley from Cincinnati was up next, playing his emotional and earnest blend of music featuring some of his older hits like “Bag of Pills” and some soon-to-be hits like “Stealing The Dark from The Night Sky” from his newly released album “This Mess We’re In”.

Following Arlo were The Davisson Brothers, a frequently touring fixture in the local WV country scene who brought their A-game to keep the day rolling.

Next Seaforth, from Australia, lit up the crowd with their dancey, upbeat jams, including their single “Good Beer” and recently released song “Queen of Daytona Beach”.

Then Trey Lewis, hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, and fresh off a tour with Kid Rock, took the stage and brought the party. He played some of his hits and his new song “My Ex Came Over” which will be released on July 22nd. In between getting the crowd dancing, he took time to recount his personal struggles with sobriety with his heartfelt song written for his mother “Whatever She Sees in Me.”

Afterward, Lainey Wilson, ACM Awards New Female Artist and Song of the Year winner in 2022, took the stage. Wilson’s set was full of infectious energy, fun, and big-belting vocals. She played her hit “Things a Man Oughta Know” as the crowd joined in to sing and dance along with her. Aside from her music career, Wilson will be joining the cast of Paramount’s show “Yellowstone” in the upcoming season.

Closing out the night was country music legend Tracey Lawrence. Lawrence has been active in the country music scene for over three decades and has charted more than forty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including eight songs that reached the number one position: “Sticks and Stones,” “Alibis,” “Can’t Break It to My Heart,” “My Second Home,” “If the Good Die Young,” “Texas Tornado,” “Time Marches On,” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.”

Music from all the artists can be found on the festival’s Spotify playlist.

Several artists and event organizers wandered through the crowd greeting fans and guests when they weren’t busy on stage or on duty. Watson was seen upgrading a few lucky guests’ tickets to VIP or providing meet and greet opportunities between the performers and guests. The overall atmosphere of the festival was upbeat and joyful. Everyone in attendance just seemed genuinely happy to be there, from the entertainers to the guests to the staff themselves.

Guests could choose between General Admission for $85 or VIP for $199. They could also choose to camp for the night or the full weekend on the WVMS grounds.

The festival featured several food vendors and merchandise booths. Freshly cooked meals including fried chicken, ham, pulled pork, and a deliciously sweet peanut butter sheet cake were prepared by volunteers and available to VIP guests.

Watson is hoping to garner some more support from the Parkersburg/Mid Ohio Valley Community for future events at the speedway. The WVMS offers racing events about once a month. They offer concessions and provide a family-friendly and exciting environment with kids 10 and under receiving free admission to the race events. The WVMS is a cash-only facility. Next on their schedule is the Mark Balzano Memorial on August 6th which features hotrods, street stocks, sport mods, and $10k late models. General Admission tickets are $25 and pit tickets are $35. They are also offering on-site camping for this event for $20 per night. Their full schedule of upcoming events can be found on their website.

All photography by Michelle Waters Photo

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As they say in the forest, “free yourself of humduggery” and join the cast of Robin Hood at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players opening Friday June 17 at 7:00 pm. Your adventure includes a romp through Sherwood Forest, a night at the Blue Boar Tavern, and visits to the castle while you are immersed in the action as the cast uses the entire theater to bring this classic play to life. Directed by Amber Smrek with assistance from Angela Shrader and Sherri Knapp, the Players bring to life the adventures of a merry band of thieves under the direction of Robin Hood (or perhaps the beguiling Maid Marian) who steal from the rich and give to the poor all while thwarting the evil Sheriff.

But don’t let the idea of “classic” dissuade you from attending. This version of Robin Hood is hysterical with lots of biting sarcasm and action and even some drunken revelry.  Ms. Smrek and her team choreographed an abundance of fight scenes.  The cast fights with everything:  long swords, short swords, large sticks, swords in one hand, swords in both hands.  If they can fight with it, they do, with enthusiasm!

The best fighter of them all?  Maid Marian, brought to life by Players newcomer Erika Jennings.  New to the area but not new to community theater, Ms. Jennings’ Marian is a wise-cracking heroine who not only can wield a sword or two but she wins the guy in the end.  Playing Maid Marian “felt like destiny” and the perfect role to introduce her to the local theater scene.  You’ll enjoy watching Maid Marian as she not only wins the heart of Robin Hood but will also enchant the audience.

Each member of the cast has their shining moment, but a few stand out.  Friar Tuck, played by John Burns, is hysterical during one scene where he enjoys a little snack and conversation with himself.  George Faber, who portrays Much, brings his vocal and comedic talents to the stage as he sings his way through several scenes and is properly manhandled by Little John, played by equally funny Justin McKown.  Nicholas Rake, as minstrel Alan-a-Dale, brings a steady presence and quite a bit of musicality in each of his scenes.

Audience members will recognize many of the Players from their previous performances this year along with some new faces.  Ike Eastwood will make you boo out loud as the villainous Sheriff while Nathaniel Maciag shows a range of emotions as the evil Guy of Gisborne.  Making his debut performance on the main stage is 12-year-old Leon Elliott who plays one of the Merry Men.  Also new to the Players are Rebecca Maciag, Sam Bidwell, and Lindsey Dornon.

Robin Hood, sponsored by WesBanco, opens Friday, June 17 at 7:00 pm. Additional show times are June 24 and 25 at 7:00 pm and June 18 and 26 at 3:00 pm.  Tickets cost $13 and are available at midohiovalleyplayers.org or at the box office.

But let’s get back to the fighting.  There’s a lot of it! Word to the wise: don’t sit in the front two rows or you will literally end up in a sword fight.

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Jimmy Carrano, the owner of Jimmy Avocado’s, has been cooking for pretty much his entire life. When he was growing up, his father ran restaurants and he would go in and do prep work with him for extra money. He began regularly working in restaurants as a teenager and completed culinary school in his twenties. He’s worked as both a private chef and a corporate chef but says running his own restaurant is more about passion. “I enjoy what I do. To quote the movie Chef: There are people who cook food they believe in,” he said. He has a lot of Hispanic influence in what he cooks because of the nature of kitchens and the people that are typically employed in them with whom he’s interacted.

Carrano started the food truck in the early part of 2021 and added the Marietta location in March of this year, at 212 Third Street. The Marietta restaurant has been a popular choice among the local community with them having been nominated for the Marietta Times Readers Choice Awards after being open for less than a year. The eatery is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and Tuesdays from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. They’re adding a second location inside the food court at the Grand Central Mall that will hopefully be open in June. Starting soon, the food truck will be at Point Park every Wednesday evening during the free yoga at the point classes.

Jimmy Avocado’s offers a wide variety of flavorful menu options, including vegetarian and a true vegan menu with soy-based chorizo, tofu tacos, and plant-based cheese. All of their food is made from scratch with the exception of the tortillas and chips because they sell too many of them to have the time to make them themselves. They get some of their ingredients from local produce shops and a couple of the local meat markets. Carrano said his personal favorite dish they serve is the pork carnitas tacos, a soft corn shell filled with slow-roasted carnitas marinated in orange citrus zest, chipotle sauce, pickled red onions, and pineapple. “That citrus meeting with that caramelization pork gets when it’s slow-roasted in the oven is just awesome. I feel like you get a lot of the flavors you’d get from pork belly without that crispness of pork belly,” he described.

I just wanted to be able to give people good food and create an atmosphere that people wanted to work at and not feel like they were trapped into working there.

They currently have 12 employees, excluding Carrano himself. He does his best to treat his employees right by providing pay over minimum wage, offering full-time schedules to those that want them, and eventually, he wants to transition all of his employees to a four-day workweek to give them more time to live their lives. Their life outside of work is equally important to him. Some of the people working for him have been friends of his for years. “I just wanted to be able to give people good food and create an atmosphere that people wanted to work at and not feel like they were trapped into working there. There’s that whole cliche of we’re a family, not a team, but I really feel like we’re a family. I want to make a million dollars, but if that takes me a few extra years and I take care of my people, that’s how I want it to be,” he stated.

When you walk into the Marietta location you’re greeted with Mexican music and an inviting atmosphere. The restaurant theme is modeled after restaurants he visited in Mexico that are made to be almost like walking into someone’s home. The art on the walls is a combination of gifts from Carrano’s children and friends and local artists. The art done by local artists is for sale and the artists receive all the profit from the sales. Avocado plushies made by the Wood County Society and the Artbeat Studio are also available for purchase and the profits all go back to those organizations. They also sell cookies from Big Tom’s Cookies and fresh-made marshmallows from Tezze Delicacies and Treats. The Grand Central Mall location will feature an exclusive Chipotle chocolate chip cookie from Big Tom’s Cookies.

Carrano believes community is an important part of running a local business. He encourages people to hang flyers for local events. Eventually, he wants to put a board up in the restaurant to advertise other local small restaurants. “There are so many different types of businesses that help market each other and restaurants don’t do it because I feel like they always feel like it’s a competition. But at the end of the day, if somebody comes in here, they’re coming in for tacos. They’re not coming in here for pizza. They’re not coming in here for a burger. They’re not coming in here for anything like that, you know?”

Carrano said there are so many different varieties of food around town. “Tel Aviv that has the Greek style food and Lebanese style cuisine, you’ve got Star of India that has Indian style food, and there are several bars around here that while they might have some things that clash, they offer a really good gastropub menu,” he said. “The Busy Bee offers pretty much brunch all the time. You’ve got your higher-end places, the Levee House Bistro, Benny & Babe at the Buckley, all those places. I feel like they would respect me saying, ‘Hey, if you don’t like tacos, why don’t you check out all these other great local restaurants as opposed to going to Applebee’s or somewhere like that?’ It’s the character and it just helps to build the local community,” he explained.

Carrano really wants to help spark the movement of making the area better and helping to be part of the solution. He wanted to create something bigger than himself with this business. “The best part of this has been the sense of accomplishment. I’m a dreamer to a tee and I have a new one every 47 minutes, so on a personal level, it’s finally following through with something,” he said. “On a bigger level, it’s realizing it’s not just a taco truck now, it’s a feasible future business that can change all the things I want to change. I’m never going to be Elon Musk level able to change things, but I could be Parkersburg, Marietta, Mid-Ohio Valley level and that’s kind of what I’m shooting for. Every day I feel like I’m a little bit closer.”

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Clutch MOV recently spoke with local band Cutler Station over Mexican food and margaritas to discuss influences, origins, and what music means to them and to snag some details on their highly anticipated upcoming album.

Cutler Station is best described as dynamic, fun, and absolutely chock full of talent! The band consists of brothers John and Kirby Evans, Steve Lipscomb, Jason Swiger, John Borchard, and Jake Dunn. All the members are local; with Lipscomb, and the Evans brothers living in Vincent, Swiger in Cutler, Borchard in Athens, and Dunn in Belpre.

The guys in Cutler Station have all been playing music for most of their lives, with Lipscomb, Swiger, and the Evans brothers beginning to play together as teenagers. Cutler Station as we know it today really began to take form about 10 or 11 years ago when Lipscomb, Kirby and John Evans were all living in Columbus and decided to form a band where they could do whatever they wanted and have it be more democratic than bands they’d been in previously. Swiger joined in on drums shortly afterward.

They approached Borchard to play on their previous album Meat, No Sides and he’s been with them ever since. He began playing music in 1969/1970 and has the skill to show for it. “The places it (live music) has taken me are mind-boggling,” said Borchard. “I’ve played Presidential Inaugurations and I’ve played honkytonks with people who were shot to death and everything in between.”

The most recent addition is Jake Dunn, formerly of Jake Dunn and The Blackbirds, Elephant Head, and Sadsquatch. When asked what it was like joining the already well-established band, Dunn said “They are all so enthusiastic about what it is. On a scale of just daily enthusiasm, they’re just always ready to go. They’re always excited about what’s coming. They were all so welcoming, I feel like I’ve been in this band for a long time.”

It’s kind of a call back to our hometown. It’s nostalgia. Everybody has their little convenience store in their little town.

The name Cutler Station came from the local general store in Cutler where a few of the members grew up. The store itself has been around since the 60s but was previously a gas station in the 50s. In the 1800s there was a railroad that ran through Cutler (which possibly inspired the store name) and that’s when Cutler became a town. It was also a stop along the Underground Railroad. “It’s kind of a call back to our hometown,” said Lipscomb. “It’s nostalgia. Everybody has their little convenience store in their little town.”

Trying to pin down a genre for Cutler Station seems like almost an impossible task. They don’t seem to fit in any particular box. When asked what genre they consider themselves, the bandmates responded with a variety ranging from Appalachian power pop to dad rock to “just keep an open mind.” They described their influences as anyone from 90’s country, Tyler Childers, Ben Folds Five, and early Weezer to Jewel, Monsters of Folk, My Morning Jacket, and the Beatles.

It’s a really different thing and to me, that’s what music is. They’re not afraid to walk right to the edge and then jump off!

“These guys absorb a lot of influences other than what would be indigenous to this part of the country,” said Borchard, summing it up. “They’ve absorbed all these other influences, as have half a million other people, but they’ve put it together in a way that’s cohesive. It’s a really different thing and to me, that’s what music is. They’re not afraid to walk right to the edge and then jump off!”

“What’s really interesting to me is I don’t know anyone else that is really chronicling Appalachian life,” continued Borchard. “There’s plenty of bluegrass guys around, but that’s great grandpa’s music at this point in time. I mean, from a lyrical standpoint, nothing else really sounds like Cutler Station.”

Another important quality of the band is that its members are encouraged to have the freedom to experiment with different instruments and styles until they find where they each fit best as a band. They noted that a lot of that freedom in their songwriting process comes from how open they are with each other as a band. They take their music and commitment really seriously without taking themselves too seriously. They stated the energy everybody in the band has is “I’ll do whatever, completely opposite of what I’d normally do, just because it’s what’s necessary.”

When preparing for a gig, the band prioritizes practicing regularly. They all have families and busy schedules, so sometimes things can get a little hectic, but they always set aside time every Wednesday for band practice.

Their upcoming album is titled ‘I Wanna Build A New Machine.’ They’re currently tracking vocals, then the album will be mixed and mastered with a planned release in the coming months. They described the musical theme of this record as a more guitar-heavy, rock-n-roll record. “We’re going to thrash the drums out a little bit,” said Lipscomb. Lyrically and thematically, there’s some anger. “We’re kind of pissed off with the way the world is right now,” he said. “Not politically, just how we feel like things could be better. Everyone could be better.”

They’re recording the album at Steve’s studio in his home. “Typically, we make it a process as a group. Steve will mix it up, put it on a G Drive, and we’ll all take a listen and put our input on it. That kinda goes on until we’re all happy with it,” said John Evans. The album art is going to be done by Chris DeMaria, who did the artwork for their previous album ‘Meat, No Sides.’ When asked what the expectations were for the art John said, “We feel like he really killed it on Meat, No Sides. We’ve given him free rein on the new one.”

They have at least two more albums planned after this one: a traditional country album, Cutler Station style, and a more experimental album. They have over 50 songs in the queue that they haven’t done anything with yet. They all just want to keep making music. “We have yet to write our best song,” said Evans.

Dunn said live music is an important part of what they do. “It’s integrated into everything you do, he said. “I don’t think anyone should play music unless they absolutely have to,” said Borchard, repeating something a friend recently shared. “What he meant by that was people who have to play music find a way to do it, whether that’s sleeping on couches for 50 years or being able to find a group of like-minded people. There are plenty of people who play, but it’s hard to find people who really want to work.”

“We do this for us,” said Steve Evans. “We’ve never felt, any one of us, that we were as good alone as we could be when we all play together.” John Evans added, “I would go insane if I wasn’t in a band.”

While you’re waiting on the new album, you can find their music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. Check out their wide variety of merch, shirts, hats, patches, records, stickers, CDs, mugs, posters, bathing suits, and even more, available on their Facebook and Instagram shops, Bandcamp, or by coming out to a show and visiting the merch table. Keep an eye out for more show announcements coming soon as well!

The post Cutler Station is Way More Than Just OK appeared first on Clutch MOV.

Anna Maria Jarvis may not be a household name like Woodrow Wilson or General George McClellan, but just like these men that her life intersected with, she created a legacy still remembered in the present day. Anna Jarvis, and by all inspiration, her mother, Ann, are the women that first brought the idea of celebrating mothers, and the work they do, to the people of the United States of America.

Anna Jarvis was born in 1864, in Webster, WV at the decline of the Civil War. The home in which she was born had previously served as Gen. McClellan’s first field operations outpost in Western Virginia at the start of the Civil War. The house is now known as the Anna Jarvis House and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

As a young child, Anna and the Jarvis family moved into the city of Grafton, WV, and Anna and her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis began to attend the Methodist church in town, even though her father, a minister himself, attended the Baptist church. Ann Reeves Jarvis was very dedicated to her faith, even helping to construct the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church that stands today, housing the International Mother’s Day Shrine dedicated to all mothers, living and deceased. Though it was Anna who petitioned the church leaders to enact a celebration for her mother after her death, it had been the elder Jarvis’s dream to create something such as this to honor the work that mothers do. Even closing one of her Sunday School children’s sermons with a prayer that she hoped someone, somewhere, would create a memorial to honor mothers everywhere.

Anna was 12 years old when she heard her mother’s words and carried those wishes throughout her life. Anna grew up watching her mother host “mothers’ day clubs” similar to what Betsy Mills did in Marietta. The purpose of the mother’s work clubs that Ann founded was to educate the mothers of the area on health, hygiene, sanitation, and disease, as well as provide medications for those who were ill. The ultimate goal was to address the health of mothers and children and to reduce the high infant death rate at the time. This cause was close to Mrs. Jarvis’ heart as she herself only saw four of her twelve children live to adulthood.

As the needs of the area shifted during the war, Mrs. Jarvis led the clubs into helping wounded soldiers, even going as far as mandating that there be no violence among opposite sides of the war, continuing even after the war had concluded. Mrs. Jarvis enacted a Mother’s Friendship Day, celebrated for a few years, in which soldiers and their families from both sides of the war were welcomed to fellowship together, no matter what political beliefs they held. In the years that followed Mrs. Jarvis continued to teach Sunday School at Andrews ME Church, and Anna attended college in Virginia, eventually returning to Grafton to become a schoolteacher.

After Anna’s father, Granville Jarvis, died at the end of 1902, both Anna and her sister Lillian encouraged their mother to come to Philadelphia to live near their brother Claude. Ann Reeves Jarvis died May 9, 1905 and was buried in Philadelphia. Historical references, as noted on the International Mother’s Day Shrine history site, quote Miss Anna Jarvis during a visit to her mother’s gravesite as saying: “The time and place is here and the someone is your daughter, and by the grace of God you shall have that Mother’s Day.”

On the first anniversary of Ann Reeves Jarvis’ death, Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church held a memorial service for her. By 1907, Anna began petitioning to make the celebration of mothers a permanent, annual event. The idea gained momentum and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration was observed with the planning and encouragement of Miss Anna Jarvis. One of the details that Miss Jarvis made a priority was that everyone would wear a carnation, most white, though red carnations were worn as well, to honor mothers both living and deceased.

After continuing her campaign to fulfill her mother’s dream by writing letters, speaking at public events, and appealing to anyone who was able to back her pursuit, President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the second Sunday in the month of May to be a federal holiday honoring mothers everywhere. Anna had pushed for the date specifically because the second Sunday would always be the closest to the anniversary of her mother’s passing.

In the years that followed, Mother’s Day celebrations were adopted across the country, as well as in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and all over the world. Though Anna Jarvis eventually became disheartened with the way the day became an opportunity for commercialization and profit by flower and card companies, the original Andrews church continued to celebrate and honor Mrs. Jarvis and mothers everywhere on the second Sunday in May.

Anna never sought or accepted any monetary compensation from the celebrations, and even petitioned to have the honorary day rescinded. Near the end of her life, Jarvis and her sister had both used their family inheritance to fight the commercialism that their very personal holiday had created, so much so that they died poor and destitute. Anna Jarvis died in 1948, in Philadelphia, at the age of 84. It has been noted that on the day Anna Jarvis was buried, the church bell at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton rang out eighty-four times, in her honor.

The Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church continued to have yearly Mother’s Day Observance until the congregation relocated to another Methodist church in Grafton. The last Mother’s Day was observed at the church in 1966. Though the church is still an integral part of history, it no longer serves as a denominational house of worship, but as a memorial to the history of the events that took place there. Just prior to the move, the International Mother’s Day Shrine was enacted as a nonprofit entity to continue the legacy of both the church constructed on the grounds in 1873 and that of Anna Jarvis and her mother, Ann. The sculpture of mother and children, by William Douglas Hopen, was revealed in 1982, for the 20^th anniversary of the designation of the International Mother’s Day Shrine.

Each year the International Mother’s Day Shrine hosts an observance on Mother’s Day. This year it will be recorded and broadcast online, as it has been for the last couple of years, due to the pandemic. Marvin Gelhausen, a member of the nonprofit organization that maintains the shrine, provided the links to be able to join in the observance this year, May 8, 2022, via the Shrine’s website or their Facebook page.

In addition to the Mother’s Day Observance broadcast from the Mother’s Day Shrine, The Anna Jarvis Museum, located directly across the road from the Anna Jarvis House, will be hosting its annual Mother’s Day Founder’s Festival, from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Details of the event, as well as contact information for tours, can be found on the Anna Jarvis House Facebook page.

Between the months of May and October, both the International Mother’s Day Shrine and the Anna Jarvis House and Birthplace Museum are open to visitors and guided tours.

The post Honoring Your Mother appeared first on Clutch MOV.

Max Bialystock is a washed-up Broadway producer who is, how to put it, morally fluid. After his latest musical closes almost before the opening night curtain goes down, he’s out of ideas, out of options, and out of money. Until, that is, he meets Leo Bloom, an accountant with enough neuroses to fill a textbook. When Bloom, upon examining Max’s books, jokes it would be possible, with some creative bookkeeping, to make more money from a flop than with a hit, Max seizes upon the idea, recruiting his malleable new accountant friend to help. All they have to do is raise two million dollars, find the worst play ever written and hire the worst director and actors in the world. Simple, right? It would seem so until Springtime For Hitler, a musical comedy, hits their desk. It’s a can’t miss flop. A musical in which the Nazis were the good guys and won the war has to bomb, right? Right?

The Producers, a Mel Brooks Musical, produced by The Actors Guild of Parkersburg, is to put it bluntly, as rude and raunchy as you would expect from a Mel Brooks production. And it’s also every bit as gut-achingly hilarious as you would expect from a Brooks piece. Under the direction of Brent Null, with musical direction by Mike Lockney, this is laugh-out-loud show starring R.J. Lowe as Max Bialystock, a part seemingly written for the inimitable Lowe. Chris Parsons as Leo Bloom, his partner in crime, is more than equal to the task of trading quips with Lowe. Alexis Parsons is quite memorable as Ulla, Max’s and Leo’s bombshell of an assistant, as is George Litman as Franz Liebkind, the playwright with a soft spot for der Feuhrer. As is always true with the Guild, the whole cast is stellar, as is the set.

I mean no disrespect to the rest of the cast, but this is R.J. Lowe’s show. He has never submitted a poor performance at the Guild, but this might well be his best. So if you are a fan of his, you definitely do not want to miss it. So, get your tickets immediately. Be aware that the dates originally published have been slightly altered due to the first weekend being scrubbed. Here are the new dates. Opening night is now scheduled for Friday, April 29 with 2:30 and 8:00 performances on Saturday, April 30 and a 6:00 pm showing on Sunday, May 1. The next week will consist of 8:00 shows on May 5, 6, and 7, along with another 2:30 pm show on May 6. Get your tickets before they all sell out. You’ll be glad you did!

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Work on a new collaborative mural in Belpre has begun

Last weekend, volunteers gathered at the Barclay Street Tunnel near Belpre High School ready to paint. Their mission? To create a colorful new mural as part of the Brighten Belpre Mural Project, which is a collaborative effort to enhance community spaces through art installations.

Reed Byers is one of the coordinators for Brighten Belpre. For him, this mural means bringing the community together to do something positive – through supporting arts and culture, and in turn, economic development.

“With the explosion of murals in Marietta and Downtown Parkersburg (GoodSpace, the CVB, Wood County Society, the Floodwall, etc.) I felt like it was Belpre’s turn to brighten their community,” said Byers. “Downtown MOV has so much potential and it’s vital we continue to attract and retain citizens locally. I thought this would be a great way to continue to support the collaborative arts efforts happening in the Mid-Ohio Valley.”

I’ve always wanted to do something with this tunnel by the school. So when Reed contacted me about wanting to do a mural, I jumped at the opportunity.

Chad Stevens

More than a dozen volunteers participated on Saturday, April 23^rd, after the tunnel’s surface had been prepped the previous week. Marvin Edwards, owner of Maka Mia Pizza in Parkersburg, provided lunch for everyone on site.

“It’s a beautiful day to make some art!” said Chad Stevens on Saturday. “I’ve always wanted to do something with this tunnel by the school. So when Reed contacted me about wanting to do a mural, I jumped at the opportunity.”

Stevens said students at Belpre High School were asked to come up with possible designs, which were then shared with the community for input. Organizers chose the design the community most responded to, featuring bright sunflowers against blue skies.

“The design is by Katie Woodford, a 10^th grader at BHS,” said Stevens. “She would be here painting today, but she has softball games,” he said. Stevens said he plans to bring groups of students back to paint once the mural is underway. “The community is definitely excited to see this busy little tunnel brighten up!”

I’d like to see more art events like this all over the area. It’s also helping to build up the local art community, which makes me feel incredibly supported as an artist.

Rebekah Williamson

Organizers reached out to community organizations and residents for support in covering materials and preparation costs. Donations came in from the Belpre Rotary Club, Belpre Women’s Club, Mario and Kelli Coon, Bob Rauch, Jennifer Buzzard, Mayor Mike Lorentz, Connie Miller, Fire Chief Tony Cronin, and the Belpre Police Department. Edward Escandon generously donated his time, resources, and expertise to help prepare the tunnel for painting. Local artist Rebekah Williamson also helped extensively with prep work.

Williamson said she became involved after talking with Byers and Stevens about their shared desire to make public art spaces a more common theme in the Mid-Ohio Valley. “This mural benefits the community by making it more beautiful and the whole process has engaged young artists and is bringing people in the community together with a common goal,” she said.

“I’d like to see more art events like this all over the area. It’s also helping to build up the local art community, which makes me feel incredibly supported as an artist,” she said.

Work continues on the mural this Saturday, April 30^th, beginning at 9:00 am. Those interested in painting are welcome to meet at the Barclay Street Tunnel to join in the fun.

“I love community projects,” said Williamson. “I brought four friends with me and the connections that were made between all of us who were there have opened doors for grant research/writing, future community projects, and a real sense of camaraderie as we all painted, sang, and laughed together. I’ve enjoyed every moment.”

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At the corner of Eight and Market Streets in downtown Parkersburg, the Parkersburg Art Center (PAC) stands as the oldest continuous cultural agency in West Virginia. Chartered in 1938, the PAC supports local and regional artists, provides educational experiences, and showcases the work of talented artists in its skillfully curated galleries. Last month the agency added another level of artful offerings, with its newly expanded gift shop. The PAC 713 Market, adjacent to the Art Center, recently opened after extensive renovations and already features nearly seventy artists. Some of the rapid growth is due to the influx of artists from the Riverside Artists Gallery in Marietta, which closed at the end of last year.

The Riverside Artists Gallery was a mainstay in downtown Marietta for 23 years, operating as a cooperative business that allowed artists to become members. There were various factors contributing to the closure of the Gallery, leaving the active members without a home for their art. With the PAC 713 Market opening, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to welcome some of the Riverside Artists, an opportunity that has proven mutually beneficial.

Jennifer Carpenter, the gift shop manager, explained that the move has been a positive one. “We were grateful that the Riverside artists chose to join us at PAC 713 Market, and that we had the space to accommodate them,” she said. The work of potential new artists is juried for selection, and Carpenter said they will continue to accept applications as long as there is space available. “It’s important to promote and support our local and regional artists,” said Carpenter, a sentiment that is reinforced by Jessie Siefert, Managing Director of the Parkersburg Art Center. Siefert is excited about the growth of the gift shop and the quality of art being offered. “We are a community art organization, and the new space allows us to meet our mission of supporting working artists and helping them grow.”

Not only do I have the opportunity to continue sharing my art with the community, but I also have the opportunity to collaborate with new artists.

Betsy Cook

Virginia Killian, Siefert’s mother, is a founding member of the Riverside Artists Gallery and creates pieces in various styles and mediums. She joined the artists who made the move across the river and her work is now available in the renovated space. The makeover resulted in a spacious venue with generous lighting and curated displays. Original paintings and prints adorn the walls, and glass cases feature hand-crafted jewelry and accessories. Racks and shelves offer a smorgasbord of items from note cards to pottery, textiles to art tiles and so much more.

One of the larger displays features the work of Betsy Cook, who creates home and garden décor using iron that she often embellishes with glass or wood. Cook was a member of the Riverside Artists Gallery for 18 years and is happy to have a new home for her art. She shared her optimism about the future and the prospect of new relationships. “Not only do I have the opportunity to continue sharing my art with the community, but I also have the opportunity to collaborate with new artists,” she said. Other Riverside artists who have made the transition from Marietta to PAC 713 Market include origami artist and painter Akemi Matsumoto, fiber artist Tracy Leibaugh, watercolor artist Lynda Rhodes and jewelry artist Scott Bookman.

The gift shop will occasionally host unique exhibits within the space, beginning with the Garden Party show on May 6^th. The event will highlight new artwork and crafts reflecting the spirit of the season, and many of the PAC 713 Market artists will be on hand to meet visitors. Live music will be provided by Dan Canterbury and from 5:00 to 7:00 PM the shop will be blooming with color and creativity.  Refreshments will be available and the event is free and open to the community.

Hours of operation for the PAC 713 Market coincide with the Parkersburg Art Center hours, which are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday. The gift shop space is separated from the gallery space by the framing workshop, allowing visitors to enjoy the exhibits of the PAC, shop for unique art, and even make arrangements for framing, all under one roof. The Parkersburg Art Center is a bustling hub of the MOV art community, offering outstanding exhibits, educational field trips, and classes and workshops for all ages and skill levels. Their website provides detailed information about upcoming events, featured artists, and class schedules.

When Riverside Artists Gallery closed its doors in Marietta, the local art community grieved the loss and patrons missed the bright spot of unique creativity on Second Street. But thanks to the welcoming staff and resident artists of the PAC 713 Market, a group of talented artists has found a new home to showcase their work. Although the gift shop just opened last month, it’s already earned praise for the diverse offerings representing so many local and regional artists. The addition of new artists and continued growth will ensure the Parkersburg Art Center and PAC 713 Market will remain an important cultural hub for years to come.

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You Can’t Take It With You opens at the Mid Ohio Valley Players

Martin Vanderhof is the patriarch of a family that could be best described as eccentric. Once a Wall Street power player, he realized he wasn’t happy and just walked away one day, and he’s done whatever he wants since.

One might wonder if Martin’s granddaughter Alice isn’t adopted, as she’s absolutely nothing like her parents or sister or grandfather. She dresses normally, has a well-paying job at a powerful Wall Street company, where she just happens to have fallen in love with the vice-president of the company, Anthony Kirby, Jr. She is understandably hesitant to introduce her beloved’s strait-laced family to her Bohemian clan. But it has to happen, so she arranges to invite them to dinner. Imagine her horror when they show up on the wrong night and she hasn’t had a chance to normalize the house or prepare her folks.

This is the hilarious situation of You Can’t Take It With You, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Between the daft but lovable characters, crazy situations, and witty repartee, this is a delightful show to watch and the nice folks at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players have put together a wonderful cast who are clearly enjoying their parts.

David White is stellar as Martin Vanderhof, aka Grandpa. The rest of the cast is equally terrific. Ike Eastwood is sweet and witty as Penelope Sycamore. George Gaston is hilarious as her husband Paul. His sidekick, Mr. DePinna, is humorously played by Jedd Butler. Essie and Ed are played quite well by Becca Buck and Caleb Bland. Angela Shrader is simply superb as Alice, a young woman who loves her family, even if she doesn’t fully understand them or accept them for who they are. Sean Shoop’s Tony is a truly kind young man who helps his family, along with Alice, see that people don’t have to be the same to love and like each other.

This show, under the direction of JR Wells, Emily Ketelson, and Erin O’Neill, is a must watch. The show opens on Friday, April 22 at 8:00 pm, with subsequent evening performances on April 23, 29, and 30. Three matinee performances will take place at 3:00 pm on May 1. Tickets are available by going to the MOVP’s website. Tickets are also available at the box office before each performance. Get your tickets soonest. You’ll be glad you did.

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Marietta Morning Rotary Club Hosts International Dinner

“Enjoy your food, travel around the world, and have a great time!” Khadine Ritter, Event Organizer, proclaimed.

The Marietta Morning Rotary Club held their International Dinner on Saturday, April 2nd, at the Marietta Shrine Club. Upon first entering the Shriner Club, attendees were hit with the powerful and delicious scent of foods from several different countries and regions. Khadine described the event as “a feast of the senses” and nothing could be more true, with attendees being able to see chefs and helpers in their traditional dress with items from their culture while tasting their traditional foods. The dinner also featured a silent auction on a bazaar of items from many places around the world, donated by various individuals.

All the chefs are MOV locals who are either directly from the country they represent or are first-generation residents. The dinner was a great way for people to get out and experience new food and culture from all around the world, locally. This was the 17th year the dinner has been held and it definitely didn’t disappoint! Several new countries were featured this year, including Great Britain, Thailand, Belgium, and Palestine. There were forty-one unique dishes featured from fourteen different countries/regions, including India, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, and many others.

When asked what she was most looking forward to with the dinner, Ritter, who was representing Panama as well as organizing the event, said “As a cook, I just want to get through it unscathed and make sure that people have enough food and that they have a fabulous day.”

Many chefs decorated their tables with traditional or personal items from their childhood abroad. Nicholas Newman, representing Switzerland, decorated his table with wooden cows representing his nation’s Brown Swiss cattle breed and his country’s flag. Other chefs regaled attendees with stories of their home country or interesting history facts, like Davis Powers with his Viking helmet and stories of how Sweden mellowed out from their conquering Viking past into a “very useful country.”

Some chefs, like Thangasamy Saminathan, Anitha Thamizhani, Harish Damahe, and Johnsely Sanitha Cuyrus from Tamil Nadu, dressed in full traditional garb and gladly explained the significance of each article of clothing and explained the health benefits of their dishes. Idli, a savory rice cake, is an incredibly healthy breakfast that can be topped with different types of chutney. Some chefs, like Maria Corbin, Sophia Corbin, and Rebecca Coelho representing Brazil, chose not only the most popular dishes in their country but also their favorites.

Personal favorite dishes included the chicken green curry from Thailand, waterzooi (chicken stew with carrots, leeks, onions, and heavy cream) from Belgium, and payasam (a dessert made with vermicelli, milk, ghee, raisins, and nuts) from Tamil Nadu, India.

The dinner was attended by people of all ages and walks of life, from toddlers to senior citizens, from families to couples on date night, and people out with their friends.

Attendee Parker Waters, age 10, said she was excited about the event because she wanted to try food from different cultures and countries. She was surprised to find she liked the pork carnitas from Mexico and the Russian honey cake which she described as “sweet, but not sweet enough to make your mouth hurt.” She said normally she’s a bit particular and just sticks with the things she’s comfortable with, but she went and tried something new. She would recommend the dinner to a friend because “it’s a really good way to learn how different cultures and countries prepare their food, and it’s an amazing idea for them to try.”

“I love seeing all of the different cultures that are represented every year,” said Beth Segrest. “I think it is a great reminder that diversity doesn’t just happen in our big cities. It exists in small-town America, too. I think it is a great opportunity for people to share a part of their identity with the broader community and presents the rest of us with exposure to some small part of a place we might never get to go to. And of course, the food is always fantastic!”

Lively Celtic music was provided during the event by The Brickersons, based in Athens, Ohio. The quartet is composed of Ed Newman (hammered dulcimer), Rusty Smith (fiddle), Todd Sams (guitar), and Zeke Hutchison (mandolin).

Proceeds from the dinner focus on the club’s literacy projects, such as the Dictionary Project, which has been responsible for providing a dictionary to every third grader in Washington county (over 700 dictionaries per year) since 2007, the Boys and Girls Club Reading Room in the Harmar Community Building, and funding the Marietta College Summer Reading Camp.

Christy Burke, the club’s president and Director of Education Abroad at Marietta College, described the Marietta Morning Rotary Club as an “action-based club that prides itself on being in the community.” Aside from their literacy projects, the club focuses on a number of other initiatives, like the Discovery Garden on the corner of Pike Street and Seventh Street, planting trees at Gold Star Park, and working with Marietta Main Street on their clean sweep downtown.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Marietta Morning Rotary Club should contact mariettamorningrotary@gmail.com. The club typically meets on Fridays at 7:00 am at Jeremiah’s Coffee House on Front Street. Burke says the club is a great way to start the end of your week!

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