Several events will be taking place in Cameron starting next Friday to kick off the holiday season.

The initial undertaking will be lighting of the Community Christmas Tree at the Veteran’s Memorial Park. It will get underway at 6 p.m.

In addition to the tree lighting there will be music provided by the Cameron Elementary and Cameron High School choirs.

The Cameron Senior Citizens group will serve free cookies and hot chocolate after the Christmas Tree lighting at the Legion Annex.

The city’s annual Christmas Parade will be held next Saturday, with those taking part to be at the former Cameron High School by noon. The parade will leave from there at 1 p.m.

This year’s parade theme is “Dragon Express.”

After the parade the Acteens and Challengers (teen girls and boys) will be serving cookies and hot chocolate at the Blue & Gold Christian Center for anyone who would like to stop in. They will also have crafts to sell for a donation. All proceeds will be used toward summer church camp.

The Acteens and Challengers are sponsored by the Cameron Baptist Church and welcomes any interested teen to join.

Also, next Saturday Cameron Elementary School will be holding its annual Christmas Bazaar, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., at the school.

There will be crafters, vendors and food.

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The Marshall County Strings Program will present its annual elementary and middle school winter concert at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the John Marshall High School Center for Performing Arts.

The concert will feature combined performances involving more than 200 students from Cameron, Center McMechen, Central, Glen Dale, Hilltop, Sand Hill and Washington Lands elementary schools, as well as Cameron, Moundsville and Sherrard middle schools.

Sounds of the holidays will fill the air with familiar pieces and unique arrangements of traditional carols.

The concert is free, however, donations will be accepted.

Videotaping, audio recording, LIVE streaming or social media posting of the performance is prohibited by law.

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The John Marshall High School Music Department invites the public to celebrate the holiday season at a combined Christmas concert.

The fifth annual Monarch Tidings will take place at 6 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the JMHS Center for Performing Arts.

The student produced, one day only event, will feature sections from a combination of ensembles including Concert Band, Steel Band, Concert Choir, Monarch Choir, Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra.

Maria Evans and Ella Huynh will serve as hosts of the show.

Festive tunes as “Jingle Bell Jam” and “Trepak” along with well-known favorites “Feliz Navidad,” “Let It Snow” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” will deck the halls of the CPA with Christmas cheer.

WJMH Media will record the concert, and the production will be shown in its entirely on the WJMH Media You Tube page beginning on Dec. 13. It can also be viewed on WLU-TV West Liberty University’s TV station on Xfinity channel 14, and topperstation.com around Christmastime.

The holiday concert is open to the public with an admission charge, and tickets can be purchased from JMHS music department instructors, the main office at JM, and at the door.

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The Marshall County Literacy Council’s HEART (Home and Educator Actively Reading Together) recently had its membership drive to help with the purchasing of books for holiday food baskets.

The first winner of a raffle basket was Brinley Bise, a kindergartener at Washington Lands Elementary School, while the second basket was awarded to the Broski family consisting of John Marshall senior Cloey, Central Elementary fourth grader Blake, and McNinch Primary first grader Mason.

Council officials stated that the drive’s success wouldn’t be possible without the help of McNinch Primary School Principal Jane Duffy and Glen Dale Elementary Reading Interventionist Rebecca Ryder, as Duffy provided both baskets and Ryder recorded HEART memberships.

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The city of Glen Dale will be holding its annual Christmas Tree Light-up from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., on Dec. 5 at the city park.

It will be sponsored by Paull Associates Real Estate Agency with Music by Stevie Lynn.

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Float winners in the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce 52nd Annual Christmas Parade were:

Best Theme–Ash Avenue Church of God.

Commercial–WVU/Reynold Memorial Medicine.

Non-Profit–Marshall County School’s Transportation.

The parade consisted of 88 different entries, and although the weather was a little cold it didn’t keep the crowd down.

For me, this time was the first time that I can remember ever riding or walking in a parade, and as result I had the opportunity to see the entire crowd.

Chamber executive director Scott Reager expressed thanks to the sponsors, participants and volunteers that helped kick off the holiday season. He added, “Special thanks to those who sported the parade in different ways.”

If you missed the parade, or wish to see it again, you can view the parade in its entirety on the WJMH Media’s YouTube page.

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The number of individuals touring the Dungeon of Horrors at the former West Virginia Penitentiary was similar to last year according to Tom Stiles, Executive Director of the Moundsville Economic Development Council. For the 15 nights of the Dungeon of Horrors, approximately 10,000 visitors attended the event.

Stiles said that Day Tours of the facility for the 2022 operating year were good, as were other attractions such as Ghost Adventures, Twilight Tours, PPI event, North Walk, and other activities.

While the prison area will be closing for the winter this Wednesday, the Moundsville Center will be open year-round. Reservations can be made for events taking place in 2023. The prison will reopen for the 2023 season on April 1st.

By the way if you visit the Moundsville-Marshall County Public Library you will be greeted with information called “Today in History,” and also, a Trivia question. The most recent trivia being: “Whose picture is on the $10 bill.” You can select the winner from four individuals, Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. They will also give you a hint by noting that the person was never a U.S. president.