It's hard to believe it's been a half-century since the world was greeted to scenes of the Ohio Valley from the film "Fools' Parade," which was filmed in and around Moundsville.
The local region rolled out the red carpet for Hollywood stars like Jimmy Stewart, George Kennedy, Kurt Russell and others. As longtime Marshall County chronicler Jim Cochran put it, "The people of Moundsville were real nice to these people, and if you saw them somewhere, you let them say the first thing," he said. "You'd get a good conversation with them.
"They had police around, but I never heard of anybody doing anything they shouldn't. They really enjoyed, I think, their stay here. It's different than being out in California."
Indeed. The Ohio Valley, even 50 years ago, held strong to its core values and welcomed these folks into our homes.
If you have a chance soon, re-watch "Fools' Parade." It will bring a smile to your face.