WBOY Restaurant Road Trip: Grafton 123: Spurring Local Tourism Economy

Here's the link to the story at the WBOY wesite:
http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=73391

"This week's Restaurant Road Trip takes us to a small-town restaurant with big plans.

GRAFTON -- Every Wednesday we take you on a trip to a new and exciting local restaurant.
This week, we make a stop a little Taylor County coffee shop that has big dreams of transforming an entire city.

Last year, 2009, was a good year for the restaurant industry in Grafton. Bon Monge opened in downtown and a new sports bar, Strykers Bar and Grill, opened next to the bowling lanes.

But only one restaurant made the list of "101 Best Places to Eat in WV" and that restaurant is the Grafton 123.

Nestled in the heart of downtown Grafton, the 123 is easy to find. A prime location near the courthouse keeps business steady and its big signs outside promise plenty of treats to those just passing through.

The Grafton 123, first and foremost, is a coffee house......"

Read the rest here:
http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=73391

Christmas Parade in Downtown Grafton

from the Mountain Statesman:

"The 2009 Christmas Parade is scheduled to begin at 4pm on Saturday, December 5th. Those lining up for the parade will be doing so on Latrobe Street starting at 3:30pm The parade will go from the Post Office down Main Street and will end in the Grafton Fire Department. The Gigantic Toy Giveaway will follow the parade. If you are interested in participating in the parade contact Bobby Jennings at 304-265-3333 before noon on Friday, December 4."

Pictures from Hospital Hill

Early morning mist through the tree tops:

Looking up the Tygart Valley River, where just up around the bend sits our historical Tygart Dam with the beautiful Tygart Lake behind it:

Looking toward downtown Grafton:

Autumn Photos

Joseph Ludi's daughter Kayt Ludi seems to have inherited the gene that is responsible for beautiful photography.
Here are a few of Kayt's photos, including this first one which is now also the header photo for the Blog Project. (Thanks, Kayt!):

I love this one:

The Annual Halloween Parade in Downtown Grafton

Beginning at 4pm on Saturday Octboer 24th, ghosts, ghouls, & goblins will begin lining up at The B&O Railroad Heritage Center for a short parade to the Fire Station.
Children of all ages are welcome and candy is aplenty (Somethin' Country has been accepting donations of candy).
(If it's raining, the Grafton Fire Department will be the beginning and ending point.)

Fall Pictures, continued

Photo credit for the following photographs again goes to Joseph Ludi of Grafton.
Thanks, Joseph, for sharing your skills:

an excerpt from the Valley Falls State Park website:

"Once the site of a lumber and grist mill community, the scenic treasure of Valley Falls State Park is located only a short drive from Fairmont and Grafton. This 1,145 acre day use park hosts a variety of outdoor recreation including fishing, picnicking, kayaking, and 18 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.The beauty of the park is enhanced by the spectacular series of foaming falls which were created by the dark, rushing waters of the Tygart Valley River and provides a boundary between Marion and Taylor counties. The prevalent rock formation known as Connoquenessing Sandstone, forms the cap of the falls over which the river plunges and swirls and appears both as ledges and huge room size boulders for over a mile down the narrow canyon floor. "

If you have fall pictures you wouldn't mind sharing here, please send them to Coffee@Grafton123.com

Thanks!

Fall Pictures

Thanks to Joseph Ludi of Grafton, WV for these beautiful images taken recently at Valley Falls State Park:

Fall Colors

The fall colors are beautiful, but I have no pictures on this computer. If someone will send .jpg images to the following address, I'll work at getting them posted here.
Send 'em here: Coffee@Grafton123.com
Thanks!

Alpacas

Random daytripping pictures of alpacas from a tiny back road in the eastern part of the county (or maybe I'd already crossed the line into Preston County...?):

Annual Downtown Open House

The businesses located in historic downtown Grafton will be hosting their annual Holiday Open House on Sunday November 8th between the hours of 10:00am and 5:00pm.

Come on down!

Thursday September 17th - local event announcement

The Mother’s Day Shrine Community Education Institute will sponsor its annual Constitution Day Program on Thursday, September 17th at 6:30 PM. The guest speaker will be John D. Perdue, West Virginia ’s State Treasurer.
All are encouraged to attend and a reception will follow the speaker.
This will be another opportunity for Grafton to highlight our own and give our citizens the opportunity to interact with our elected representatives.

Taylor County Chamber of Commerce Web Site

The official Taylor County website has been launched.
It's calendar feature is a great tool and vast improvement and ALL are invited to list their events.
Go here:www.TaylorWVChamber.com

Submitting events and business info is easy.
We will be working the bugs out of the site and working hard to include ALL businesses and pertinent information.
Please visit the site and help it grow by submitting information: The Contact Us page is up and running!

Red Caboose

The Red Caboose at Heritage Park underwent a few cosmetic renovations this summer thanks to a joint effort by the Taylor County Historical and Genealogical Society and the Community Corrections Program.

This is an incomplete picture, but it's the only one that's easily accessible this evening as I go through a few picture folders.

I'll post better ones (including interior shots) soon. Even better, anyone who has better shots can email them to me at MK@Grafton123.com and I'll be happy to use them.

Thanks for the hard work on a worthwhile project!

Help a local non-profit save lives! Just by clicking!

Can you spare a few minutes a day to help some very special PURRsonalities?

PURR West Virginia (P.eople U.nited for R.escue and R.ehabilitation) needs some help from you! The Fall 2009 Petfinder/Animal Rescue site Shelter Challenge begins September 14 and continues through Dec. 20. We were so close to winning the state prize of 1000.00 in the Spring, holding the number one place for nearly three months! We need your help, and your votes! PURR is a non-profit 501c3 private feline sanctuary with a big dream. We not only help the cats and kittens in our care, we help the community rescue and rehabilitate! We are currently full and are looking for volunteers, sponsors and adopters to help the cats who have been abandoned, neglected, and abused.

An easy way to help, take a few minutes of your day and vote for us by clicking on the link below and searching WV and 26347, or searching for p.u.r.r. and WV.

Our paws are little but our dreams are big!

Thank you for caring!

www.purrwv.org www.adventuresinelegance.com
P.U.R.R. West Virginia on Facebook

Thanks for supporting P.U.R.R.!

P.U.R.R. West Virginia on Facebook

The 2009 Petfinder Shelter Challenge is now over, and thanks to your voting and support P.U.R.R. (People United for Rescue and Rehabilitation) West Virginia finished in second place in our state! While we didn't win the money grant, we did show that a new kitty rescue can count on the support of its community and surrounding areas! I'm grateful and so pleased that we maintained the number one position for so long and then we didn't give up the second place either! THANKS from the Kitties at PURR.

The PURR Babies need your support in many ways! Our wish list is posted on the PURR website: www.purrwv.org (aka www.lornacats.com) and we always need your volunteer hours! Even if you are just coming to socialise the PURR babies, your time is priceless to us!

You can help PURR in many ways in your everyday life too! We are faced with turning away HUNDREDS of kitens and cats each year. That is just in our area! Over 90,000 animals are killed in shelters in WV each year. Can you help by spreading the spay/neuter message? Can you let people know that a breeding cat is not acceptable? Can you help someone alter their animal? Even by driving them to the vet, or splitting the cost, or putting them in touch with an agency that gives reduced cost vouchers YOU are making a difference in the reality of cats in our area! One kitty at a time~ its up to all of us.

P.U.R.R. Baby Spotlight: BEAU! He is just a babe! Born in December, Beau has been at PURR since February, he is just a wonderful little guy and part of our "Little Black Cat" crew! We adore little black cats as do so many cat lovers! Our Beau is a gentle guy, he has some very unique eyes - Golden orange. He has striping in his fur too, and has a brownish cast to his black. Beau will make a wonderful addition to your family, a sweet and loving little black cat who will be your dear friend! Call to meet Beau today!

THANK YOU for all your good wishes, support and kindness, it all matters!

Our best PURRS,

Lorna Vincent Venter

Director

P.U.R.R. West Virginia Inc.

People United for Rescue & Rehabilitation



Hello from PURR West Virginia! We are still in the running to win the $1000.00 state grant in the Petfinder shelter challenge! We've been stuck at number 2 for a while now and need a BURST of votes to overtake the current number one! HELP!

You can vote by clicking on the link below and then looking up WV and p.u.r.r. (don't forget the periods). Vote everyday, some can vote more than that with multi computers!

How will we use the money at PURR? Come visit us to see our facility and we can show you how we care for the animals, and what your donations and monies go toward!

Please help us spread the word about spaying and neutering pets. Unresponsible pet owners drop off kittens along deserted roads, on farms, in driveways and yes, here at PURR also. We can't take them all in. We can help others by educating. Thank you for your support, and for voting for P.U.R.R. West Virginia this week to help us win this challenge!

All my best PURRS, Lorna Vincent Venter

http://www.lornacats.com/

Square Dancing!

I'm going to this event because I was told I don't have to know anything about it.
(Let me assure you that I know NOTHING (less than nothing) about dancing, particularly square dancing...)

Square Dancing
Friday July 17
7:00-9:00pm
Gallery 62 West
62 W Main Street
Grafton, WV 26354

Suggested donation is $5.00/person

I'll be there to have fun, get some exercise, and learn a few steps.
Hope to see you, too!

Governor Visits Grafton

There's a post itemizing news coverage of his visit here.

First Community Bank

First Community Bank has opened their new facility in Blueville.

Governor Manchin will be attending the Grand Opening Celebration today beginning at noon.

Storytelling with Granny Sue

Tygart Lake State Park hosts:

Granny Sue:
Stories from the Mountains and Beyond!

Join us from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM at the Park Office/Recreation Hall.
It's Free !
Bring your chairs and blankets, for an evening of family fun.
With storytelling, folktales, and ghost stories , too!

*If it's a rainy night we will have Granny Sue at the Lodge.
Contact: Tygart Lake State Park , 304-265-6144