OPEN GYM: City of Hurricane has extended the free open gym from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays through March. The gym, open to grades 1 through 5 in Putnam County only, is offered at ZoneOut Sports, end of Morris Court, Hurricane.
HONORED: Two City of Hurricane employees were recently honored by Hurricane City Council for going above and beyond their call of duty. Daniel Payne and Joseph Hicks rescued a fellow citizen during February’s flash flooding. Thanks to these fellows for this act of selflessness and helping someone in need by driving an excavator into the rushing waters and removing the lady from her vehicle, bringing her safe to ‘shore.’
MEETING: Rotary Club of Huntington meets at noon Monday, March 10, at Huntington’s Kitchen, 911 3rd Avenue. This week’s speaker is Elizabeth “Liz” Simmons, Huntington native and new executive director of Huntington Museum of Art since September 2024, discussing “Huntington Museum of Art.” She was curator of Juliet Art Museum at Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston before beginning her HMA tenure. A light lunch is served.
PARTICIPANTS: Eight Winfield Middle School students recently participated in the West Virginia Junior High All State Choir during the West Virginia American Choral Directors Association Conference in Morgantown, West Virginia. The eighth graders rehearsed with more than 200 seventh-ninth grade singers from the state with a performance at the WVU Creative Arts Center. Participants included Dakota Blackwelder, Emma Cadle, Eli Conner, Hudson Dobbins, Brayden Miller, Naomi Ridenhour, Ava Scott and Juliana von Wulffen. These students made the school, and others, proud.
PRODUCTION: Alban Arts Center hosts “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane — Let’s Go to Baltimore Edition” at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at 2121 Kanawha Terrace, St. Albans. The competition version of the production, adapted by Dwayne Hartford and taken from the book by Kate DiCamillo, costs $15 and $10 for seniors and students.
A FIELD DAY: Putnam County Schools competed in the Regional Math Field Day in late February at University of Charleston and brought home top math honors. Winners include fourth graders, Ibrahim Alzoubi, West Teays Elementary, and Mason Brown, alternate, Winfield Elementary; fifth graders, Branson Hoang, West Teays Elementary, third, and Abram “Benny” Carney, Calvary Baptist, alternate; sixth graders, Morgan Snodgrass, Poca Middle, first, Lucas Houdyschel, Hurricane Middle, third, and Neo Nguyen, Winfield Middle, alternate; seventh grader, Markus Lemasters, Hurricane Middle, third; eighth graders, Blaise Liu, Hurricane Middle, second, Cruz Berry, Winfield Middle, third; and ninth graders, Guy Hayes, Winfield High, first, Lenon Hodge, Hurricane High, second, and Nate Knox, Winfield High, third. The top three-scoring students in grades 4 through 9 represent Region III at the West Virginia State Math Field Day competition April 12 at West Virginia State University Thumbs up on a job well done.
LENTEN MISSION: Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Office of the Youth and Young Adult Discipleship continues its Lenten mission through Wednesday, March 12, at Ascension Catholic Church, 905 Hickory Hill Road, Hurricane. Refreshments are served at 6 p.m., followed by the service at 6:30 p.m. “For the Love of God” is presented by Chris Padgett, Catholic musician and speaker.
CREOLE DELIGHTS: Creole and Corks: A Taste of New Orleans is available from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at The Venetian Estate, Milton. Doors open at 6 p.m. Bunny McComas from Mountain State Beverage is the guide. The cost is $50.
REAPPOINTMENT: The Very Rev. Donald X. Higgs, Assoc. V.E., V.F., was recently reappointed vicar forane of the Charleston Vicariate for three years, effective Feb. 18. This position is in addition to his current assignments, which include rector of the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston and associate episcopal vicar for clergy.
ARTWORK: Nearly 30 Nitro High School students had their artwork juried into the Congressional Art Competition at the Charleston Culture Center. Chosen students include Adalai Elizabeth Bellue, grade 9, “Surrealism,” mixed media; John Boggs, grade 12, “Deer Collage,” mixed media collage; Alexi Bostic, grade 11, “Notan,” marker on paper; Allie Boyles, grade 10, “Haunted Camden,” watercolor on paper; Aniyaha Brown, grade 10, “Kitten Picture,” colored pencil; Baylee Carpenter, grade 12, “Ski Mask,” pen and ink on paper, and “Joker,” acrylic on canvas; Mackynzie Casto, grade 11, “Peacock,” colored pencil, and “Mother,” mixed media; Maisey Duckworth, grade 11, “Up the Mountains of Cass,” oil pastels on paper: Maddison Fisher, grade 11, “Mixed Media,” mixed media; Samuel Frampton, grade 11, “The Triangle Cave at Seneca Rocks,” oil pastels on paper; Kaeden K. Jerry-Watson, grade 10, “A Hawk,” and “The Old Mill,” watercolor on paper; Savannah Elizabeth Marie, grade 9, “Color Theory Drawing,” colored pencil; Tyler Oaks, grade 11, “Lucky,” mixed media on paper, and “Reversal,” markers and ink on paper; Dylan Poston, grade 12, “Trash Panda,” mixed media collage; Kingsley Reynolds, grade 12, “Pastel Features,” pastel and chalk on paper, and “Crazy Lines,” ink on paper; Natalie Serrano, grade 10, “Monochrome View,” ink on paper; Natalie Smith, grade 12, “Ring Pop,” colored pencil, and “Collage New River,” collage; and Vixen Taylor, grade 11, “Mixed Texture Study,” mixed media. Congratulations to all students on celebrating their artwork.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Pam Morrison, Grant Gatewood.
LATE BIRTHDAYS: Karen Spoor, Barbara Hamrick, Seth Kinker, Laura Schaffer, Amelia Westbrook, Kenny Hann, March 2; Leah Veit, March 3; Jimmy Cunningham, Tom Wheatley, Phil Hotchkiss, Jenna Bates, Jenny Smith, March 4; Jacqueline Carroll, Stan Wonnell, John Lafferty, Aileen Marcelo, Jennifer Billups, John Clark, Darren Fearing, Terry Hanning, Braylan Hutchison, Greenlee Williams, March 5.
CHUCKLE: A man told his friend, “I went to my doctor to see if he could help me give up smoking.” “What did he say,” asked the friend. “He suggested that every time I felt like a smoke I should reach for a bar of chocolate,” explained the man. “Is that working or doing any good?” the friend said in question. The smoking man responded, “No, I can’t seem to get the chocolate to light.”
Send items to Brenda Lucas, P.O. Box 596, Ona, WV 25545; fax to 304-526-2857; or email to bklucas53@aol.com.