Park, library to mark W.Va. Day

By WARREN SCOTT, Staff writer
WELLSBURG — The Brooke County Visitors Center, located at the Brooke County Public Library, and Brooke Hills Park will be observing West Virginia Day, the anniversary of its entry into statehood, with two events on June 20.

West Virginia was admitted to the U.S. on that date in 1863 after several northwestern counties of Virginia seceded from Virginia during the Civil War.

At noon the visitors center will present a program reflecting the state’s history. Local newspaper publisher George Wallace will be the guest speaker.

Wallace has served as moderator of various events at the library, particularly those honoring veterans, and has worked with Mary Kay Wallace, his wife and the library’s director, to preserve the memory of American servicemen who were prisoners of the Japanese during World War II.

State Del. Jack Yost, D-Brooke, will serve as master of ceremonies for the program. and local singer Clarence Maloney will perform.

The program will be kicked off with a flag-raising ceremony outside the library.

The visitors center is a satellite office of the West Virginia Division of Tourism and offers brochures and other information about various points of interest throughout the state. Volunteers man the center regularly to assist visitors and answer questions about the local area.

At 6 p.m. Brooke Hills Park will hold a community picnic at the Bald Eagle Shelter. The park will provide hot dogs, iced tea and Kool-Aid, and everyone is asked to bring a covered dish.

The park is on state Route 27, about 5 miles east of Wellsburg.

A short program will include a flag raising conducted by local scouts and the “The Star-Spangled Banner” will be performed by Kassidy Wells, a local student and employee of the park.

There also will be live music by local country band Stage Right. The band is comprised of singer-songwriters Russ Buchanan and Scott Boyd, Boyd’s wife, Missy; and Thierry Phillips.

A Wellsburg native, Buchanan is a registered Nazarene evangelist who also has appeared as a Christian stand-up comedian and in local professional wrestling competitions.

A small fireworks display will be held at 10 p.m.

The park also will be offering free admission to its swimming pool, paddle boats and miniature golf course during the day.

Janice McFadden, the park’s manager, said the pool recently received some cosmetic improvements, with a new concrete floor and a cardinal, the state bird, painted on it by Amy Rogers.

Rogers, a West Virginia University student who once worked as lifeguard at the park, volunteered to paint the cardinal as well as some fish on the bottom of the baby pool.

McFadden said the pool house also has been repainted as part of ongoing improvements to the park.



(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)