Greater Moundsville Convention & Visitors Bureau personnel are getting ready for spring and summer with the first undertaking being the distribution of the annual Visitors Guide publication.

Plans are to distribute 30,000 guides in the next few weeks, with the first being dropped in Columbus. This marks the seventh year that GMCVB members will have been involved in conventions in Columbus, Pittsburgh and other locations.

This year’s visitors guide is quite different than previous years as a result of its size.

The first page of the guide starts out:

“Your adventure begins here in Moundsville with various outdoor attractions, cultural tours and historic locations make Moundsville the perfect destination for your next getaway. Visit Moundsville’s namesake the Grave Creek Mound and enjoy a Historic Museum tour while learning about early inhabitants of the area. Across the street, the former West Virginia Penitentiary offers a balance of history and mystery. Take a day tour or stay overnight for a paranormal investigation. After some mystery, head to the Cockayne Farmstead to learn about one of the first settlers in the county and tour the historic 1850s farmhouse. Next visit the Palace of Gold, with gold leaf architecture, colorful stained-glass windows, an award-winning rose garden, lotus pond and a vegetarian restaurant. Your next adventure awaits you at Grand Vue Park, stay in a luxurious treetop villa, adventure through the zipline and aerial course, relax in a hot tub in your cabin, or walk along one of the peaceful trails.”

The guide book includes lodging sites, food establishments, shopping locations, along with attractions located not only in Moundsville, but Cameron, St. Clairsville, Wheeling, and Steubenville.

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By the way, there is a new facility at Grand Vue Park, an RV parking area set to open April 29. There will be space for 40 vehicles.

Since the swimming pool at the park will not be operational this year, the park will provide transportation to nearby pools.

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Local historians Gary Rider and Roseanne Daken Keller are seeking photos and information pertaining to two former Marshall County facilities–the Marx Toy Plant in Glen Dale, and the Benwood Works. They plan on the preparation of books of the two industries and hope to release them soon.

The “Memories of Marx Toy” will feature photos of workers and the plant itself. The plant was at one time the largest Marx Toy Factory in the United States.

“Memories of the Benwood Works” will be the title for the book remembering the Benwood facility.

Both plants closed operations in the 1980s.

Anyone who has data pertaining to these two facilities and would be able to share them is asked to contact Rider at 304-845-3161, or Keller at 304-845-4178.

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Today is the final day for candidates to file for different city election positions, but as of Thursday it looked like there will be few persons who have filed that will have opposition. The same issue pertains to some county positions.

In Benwood four council seats and that of police chief are on that city’s ballot, and as of Thursday five individuals who currently hold these seats didn’t have opposition. They are: for council, Curt Mele, first ward; Larry Ferrera III, second ward; Clyde “Bud” Lundsford, third ward; Bob Rose, fourth ward; and for Police Chief Frank Longwell.

In McMechen filing had been slow as of 9 a.m. Friday as only two individuals filed for office. The mayor’s office and six council seats need filled. Those who had signed up early Friday were Bill Wilson for first ward council, and Danielle McCombs, second ward council. The city building will be open from 9 a.m. until noon today (Saturday).

Cameron Mayor H. Greg Galentine has filed for re-election. There will be at least two individuals seeking the first ward council seat, these being Kenny Richmond and Stephanie Neely; Sherry Johnson, second ward; and Joseph Wendt, third ward.

Four seats are open in the city of Glen Dale, with current individuals having filed up for re-election. These being Mayor David Blazer, Recorder Gerald Trembush and council members Eric Anderson and Lou Richmond.

On the county level the following had filed for office:

County Clerk–Melanie Madden.

Circuit Clerk–Joseph Rucki.

County Commissioner (District 3)–John Gruzinzkas.

Board of Education–Brenda Coffield, Duane Miller and Christie Robison (three to be elected).

Conservation District Supervisor–Mark Fitzsimmons.

County Executive Committees: District 1–Arthur “Sonny” Oakland, Jr., (D); Patricia D. Weinschenker).

District 2–Julie Anderson (R), Ruth M. Bertrand (R), Mary Ann Tichnell (D), Carole Wood (R).

District 5–Joseph Canestraro (D); Susan Reilly (D).

District 6–Bill Joseph (R); Charles Reynolds (R).

District 7–Kevin Kaufman (D), Rhonda Kaufman (D), James Kimberly (R), Jayne Kimberly (R), and Brian Long (7).

District 8–John E. Duffy (D) and Linda K. Duffy (D).

District 9–David Evans (R), and Steven McDiffitt (D).

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Drive up COVID-9 testing will continue at the Marshall County Health Department during the month of February. They will take place at the health department at the corner of Sixth Street and Court Avenue.

Mobile Testing will take place on Feb. 4 and 18 at the Benwood City Hall, and at Feb. 11 and 25 at the Cameron City Hall. The hours for all four testing sites will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

There will also be walk-in vaccinations for first, second and booster doses.