Owen Schmitt, who broke 10 facemasks and a LOT of tackles while playing for WVU, will be performing at the Palatine Park Independence Day Celebration Friday, July 4. He was tackled for a loss only four times in his WVU career. Those four guys are due out of the hospital any day now.

The Meet and Greet with Owen Schmitt and bands will be from 5 to 6 p.m. 

The Eazyriderz featuring Owen Schmitt will blast it out at 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. 

The Marshall Lowry Band, 8:45 p.m.; Matt Poling, 7 p.m.;  The Clarks, 10 p.m.;  fireworks also at 10 p.m.

Eazyriderz also perform regularly at Schmitts Saloon, 245 Cheat Road,
Morgantown.

Maybe Owen will autograph your facemask, but only if it’s broken. He likes ‘em that way.

Owen was born in Gilman, Wisconsin. He first started terrorizing tacklers at Paul VI Catholic High School and Fairfax High School in Virginia, where even the nuns probably didn’t mess with him.

When no D-1 schools offered scholarships, Owen went to Wisconsin–River Falls Community College, where he gained 1,063 yards and scored five touchdowns in nine starts his freshman year, which earned him Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference honors.

Then he mother plunked him into a beater car and went from campus to campus to try to convince a D-1 school to take him. Rejection after rejection. Till he got to Morgantown. WVU embraced Owen. He became a folk hero with his devil-may-care performances, including leaping tall buildings (OK, an opposing Syracuse tackler) with a single bound and breaking all those facemasks. Owen ran through the line and over Oklahoma tacklers who would sooner be elsewhere for a 54-yard touchdown that helped WVU to a victory in the Fiesta Bowl. Appropriately, he was named the Ira Everett Rodgers Award winner. “Rat” and Owen probably were the two toughest football players in WVU history. Rodgers even survived an errant javelin that struck him in the neck during a track meet!

Later, Owen played for the Seattle Seahawks, the Oakland Raiders (a perfect fit) and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL (2008-2012).

I pity Owen’s poor guitar. It will be seeing fireworks on the 4^th of July – before the sparklers are sent into the sky at 10 p.m.

Jenna at Rivesville & Fairview this weekend

Remember all those Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movies when eventually Mickey would say, “Let’s put on a show”?

Well, that’s the motto of Monongah’s No. 1 band, Jenna Won’t Sing.

Where there’s fireworks, there’s Greg Patrick and his accomplices Jim Pulice, son Eric Pulice and Ron Yanero.

Friday, July 3^rd they’ll be sending out their glorious sound waves at the Rivesville Riverfront Pavillon for a second year from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Marshall Lowery Band will follow Jenna before the fireworks light up the Monongahela River.

Saturday, July 4^th – Independence Day for those historically challenged – Jenna will be in Fairview for a third time, again starting at 6:30 p.m.

And, no doubt, tuning up their larynes and musical instruments for the Aug. 15 Monongahfest since they’re a regular there, too.

Jim Pulice, Class of 1969, is a retired Monongah Middle School principal and son of Jim Pulice. Greg Patrick is Class of 1970.

 

As for Jenna, she won’t sing but she does provide eye-dazzling shirts for Greg Patrick.

 

Valentine's Day Dance Feb. 13 at Mollohan Research Center

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Marion authors at Colasessano’s on Tuesday

Lisa Myers McCombs, Annette Bonasso Rose, Diana Pishner Walker, Linda Tomlinson Stevenski

Area authors Linda Tomlinson Stevenski, Class of 1955; Annette Rose (Bonasso), North Marion Class of 1980; Lisa Myers McCombs, Class of 1947; and Diana Pishner Walker, a 1977 graduate of Clarksburg Notre Dame High School who works for the Marion County Board of Education, will be at the Local Author Book Signing & Sale at 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Colasessano’s, 141 Middletown Road, Fairmont.

There’ll be pizza and peppermint cookies, too.

Other December events in Monongah:

**Dec. 3rd Wednesday ~ Concealed Weapons Permit Class ~ Monongah Town Hall 5p **Dec. 6th Saturday ~ We Remember 1907 @ 10:15a ~ Starting with the ringing of the bell at 10:30a ~ PACE **Dec. 8th Monday ~ Council meeting 6:30p Town Hall **Dec. 22nd Monday ~ Council meeting 6:30p Town Hall ** Dec. 18th Thursday & 19th Friday ~ Christmas Toy Giveaway ~ Monongah Town Hall - Made possible by Dave and Warren Sloan **Dec 31st Wednesday ~ New Years Eve Dance ~ Town Hall ~ $15.00 per person. Sponsored by Monongahfest

Fairmont Christmas Parade on Monday

The Fairmont Christmas Parade is Monday evening at 6 p.m. Beginning at 4th Street and continues to Palatine Park. The Ice Skating Rink at Palatine Park will be set up behind the Amphitheater and opens at 4 p.m. Monday. It will be open 4p-9p through Friday and finishing up Saturday from 9a-4p. There will be a large selection of skates available or you can bring your own. This is a free activity brought to you by the Marion County Commission.

YMCA craft & vendor show Saturday

Dietta Harden Goush, Class of 1959, who is married to Paul Goush, Class of 1954, will be at the Friends of the YMCA in Fairmont Craft & Vendor Show 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2019 Pleasant Valley Road. 

She’ll have $5 and $2 Christmas gifts set up.

Dietta does a lot of fund-raising for the Brogan Raddish Scholarship Fund in memory of her  granddaughter, who lost her battle with cancer in 2010. 

For information about the craft & vendor show, call Mendy Kay White Roberts at (304) 365-8362.

Union Mission signups under way 
for Dec. 13 Lions Christmas Party

The Fairmont Lions Christmas Party, which has been going on since the 1940s, will be Saturday, Dec. 13 in the Union Mission auditorium.

The club distributes candy, hats, gloves and stuffed toys to underpriviledged children.

To get ready, the Mission will sign up children 12 and under 1-4 p.m. today and Thursday and 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. Call (304) 363-0300 for more information.

Union Mission executive director George Batten and Lions president Keith Long coordinate the event.

The Lions are gearing up for their district governor’s annual visit 5:30 p.m. (social) and 6 p.m. (dinner) Thursday, October 23. That would be Eugene Saunders. The Lions meet The Firehouse Café, 323 Adams Street.

Members may encounter the Fairmont State Homecoming Parade, which will start at 6 p.m. the same day. 

Falcon alumni Aaron Hawkins, Class of 1971, and Butch Phillips, Class of 1965, both of Fairmont, are parade marshals because they led the $50,000 fundraiser that took 100 veterans and 50 guardians to Washington, D.C., as part of an Honor Flight from the North Central West Virginia Airport on May 10.

Kitty Ahouse Morrison with country singer Aaron Tippin

Kitty, family circus act at Mannington Fair

By Anjelica Trinone, WBOY-TV News Assistant

Mary "Kitty" Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968, who doesn't stay put long, showed up at the Mannington Fair for a rendevous with country music singer Aaron Tippin.

Kitty was hospitalized for four days in early July. That wasn't long after she was galivanting at the Monongah High Alumni Reunion with her sister, Sue Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, Doris Carpenter Rogers, Class of 1971, and Bertha Jones Wilson, Class of 1972.

Sue and Doris have been joined at the hip since second grade. Theirs is a rare friendship.

The Kent Family Circus is performing at the Mannington Fair, which ends Saturday.

Victor Kent, owner, creator and father of the performers, has been performing magic since he was 6 years old. The family has been in the cirus for 25 years.

“We are a family that performs magic, juggling, fire eating, trapeze,” says Victor Kent. “You name it, we do it.”

There are 13 in the circus, but only six are performing in Mannington. Says Victor:

“James is juggler, and balancer, I'm a fire eater, side show stunt, ring master magician. Amelia does hula hoop, Ariel silk, mind reading, and she is a mentalist. Olivia does the trapeze, the lira, the uni-cycle and snake handling.”

They also do acts involving their pet dogs and tortoise.

They will perform at the Mannington Fair every night at 6, 7:30 and 10.

Benefit Saturday for brain cancer patient

There will be a yard sale, hot dog/pepperoni roll sale, bake sale and car wash at the Pepsi Building in Industrial Park in Fairmont 8 a.m.-p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 to benefit a Pepsi employee with brain cancer.

Pepsi Bottling Group administrator Betty Ann Wright, who went to Shinnston and Lincoln high schools, is the driving force, as usual. Betty lives in Fairmont with husband Dave Wright.

In April, Betty was involved in benefit spaghetti dinner at Victory Chapel Church.