Christmas in the Country December 8 & 9 

Kathy Clayton

The Ashland Beacon

                Shoppers have another opportunity to shop local this weekend at the third annual Christmas in the Country event, sponsored by the Greenup County Farmers Market. The market is open from 3-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 and from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9. The market is located on RT. 1 in Greenup County on the right just past Imel’s Greenhouse.

                “We’ll have 64 vendors set up in four high tunnels, selling their goods,” said Teresa Walters, president of the Greenup County Farmers Market (GCFM). “Everything is handmade, homemade, or homegrown,” she said.

                While the free event is primarily focused on selling locally created goods, there will also be entertainment. “There’s a living nativity, live music, and food trucks. The bookmobile will be there with someone to read stories to the kids, and PopTart the Donkey will be there.”

                There will also be handmade wreaths on display for a silent auction. “People really enjoy it,” Walters noted. “Over 1,000 came through last year. We all enjoy sharing Christmas with the community.”

                She explained that the origins of the market grew out of the fundraising efforts to create a dedicated building for the Greenup County Farmers Market’s summer market. “A group of people from GCFM started it (the Christmas market) to raise funding for the building. After we got a grant for the building, it needed a concrete floor so money is going for that.” Walters also said some of the funds are used to for marketing and to pay a market manager. “We sent the market manager for training, and we use some money for signage.”

                The event has become so popular that vendor spots sell out, and there is a waiting list. “It’s open to anyone in the tri-state,” Walters continued, “but we fill up fast. Applications open up in July, if you want in for next year, but you might be on the waitlist.” She recommended that interested vendors join the Greenup County Farmers Market Facebook page to see announcement for upcoming events.

                “The Christmas Market is just a really great event to promote our locally-made goods,” Walters concluded. “We hope to see a lot of people out shopping and enjoying the country Christmas atmosphere.”

Christmas Extravaganza

Helping Those in Need

Grace Phillips

Ashland Beacon

With Thanksgiving behind us, it is the official start of the Christmas festivities. While it is a happy time for many families, for others the expectations of gifts and food can create much stress and worry.  The Boyd County Community and Economic Development has partnered with the Boyd County Family Resource Centers to help ease these burdens.

Kacy Abrams, Community Development Director invites everyone to a Christmas Extravaganza at the Boyd County Convention Center on December 1^st.   “We wanted to have something that would be a free event for families to attend. We like to have events that a lot of people can participate in, but we also want to have events that will give back to our community. We have partnered with the Family Resource Centers that help families in need this holiday season through their Angel Trees. It’s a big cost to families, and it’s sad to see so many kids that don’t have what they need. It means a lot to be able to give back to the resource centers because they provide so much to help families.”

Admission to the event is a new, unwrapped toy or a new or gently used coat. Abrams continued, “We are asking that all toys be unwrapped. The coats can be new or gently used and any size. There are middle and high school students that also have needs.”

The doors will open to the event at 6 p.m. with music by local high school students during the first hour for your listening enjoyment. Santa will be there with an open-air photo booth to have your photos taken and printed while you wait. Concessions will also be available to purchase including a hot chocolate bar.

At 7 p.m., you can enjoy the music of Rachel Messer and Connor Dale followed by a concert by the Jason Lovins Band. For more than 20 years, Jason Lovins has shared his testimony on some of the biggest platforms in Christian music. He and the band travel extensively throughout the country sharing how God is constant in life’s mountain tops and valley lows. They have a unique ability to connect to audiences of all ages by combining Lovins’ rich heritage in gospel and country music with contemporary worship.

There will be a number of silent auction items to bid on during the evening. Abrams shared, “There are so many wonderful items. To name of few, Fat Ash has donated over $400 in items including cigars, ashtrays, etc. Maddy Ryan with Symmetry Aesthetics Studio has donated $200 in gift cards.  Bellefonte Restaurante has given a really nice basket with tickets to an event at the Paramount, dinner for two, and a bottle of wine. Ervena Howard from Advantage Plus Realty has donated a camping-themed basket … there are too many items to list them all.” All proceeds from the silent auction will also be donated to the Family Resource Centers.

According to Abrams, this will also be the perfect event to kick off the Holiday Light Trail sponsored by Boyd County Tourism. Homes participating in the Light Trail will flip the switches on their beautifully decorated homes at 6 p.m. Maps of the homes participating can be found on the tourism’s Facebook page. Homes will be lit from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Dec. 1-26^th, and the public can vote on their favorite homes. 

In closing Abrams said, “We look forward to seeing everyone and are happy to be able to give back to our community and the families who make us what we are.”

The Boyd County Convention Center is located at 15605 State Route 180 just past the Flying J at Cannonsburg. If you would like more information on the Christmas Extravaganza event, please call 606.739.4134. If you are not able to attend the event on Dec. 1 and would like to donate, there will be drop-off zones at the Boyd County Tourism offices and the Boyd County Courthouse.

Groovin’ with Groovy Garments

Gwen Akers

The Ashland Beacon

Conscious, creative, and downright groovy, Ashland native Anthony Persinger has created his own clothing business known as Groovy Garments.

After spending much of his time working in the restaurant business, Persinger felt as if it was time he forged his own path, following his creative passions. After spending many years away from the area for schooling and other pursuits, Persinger returned to the area to be closer to his family and his inspirations. Spurred on by the support of his mother, a local business owner, Persinger knew it was time to take a leap into his dream of creating his own t-shirt business. Persinger has always loved the freedom of expression found in art, and it was almost fate when he began the process of learning how to screen print t-shirts during his time at Area Advertising.

“They threw me in the screen-printing department, and I immediately fell in love, like a kid in a candy store,” explained Persinger. “I care about the environment, [and] like to make art. Let's combine all that into one.”

Persinger was inspired by this process–the colors, methodical process, and the different materials that all came together to create a simple t-shirt. Persinger began studying the process of screen printing, which begins from a simple doodle on a notepad. The first step is to digitize the base out through a computer graphics program, from here begins the complex process of layering the artwork by color.

These different layers eventually become screens, which are similar to silk mesh spread around a piece of metal. This serves like a “stamp” for your design, which is then covered in paste and then sprayed with water to distill the design.

“It's definitely a long process. It's a labor of love, and that's what makes it so fun and interesting,” detailed Persinger about the process of screen printing.

Now, Persinger has taken screen printing into his own hands, as he does all the printing and designing of all his shirts by hand. Officially an LLC since about a year and a half ago, Groovy Garments has been making shirts for around six months. Further, Persinger expressed his desire to make all his designs from sustainable and eco-friendly materials, as even in his art, he wants to give back to nature.

“The goal initially was just to create my own clothing brand and come up with my own designs and source better material like organic cotton and recycled fibers,” expressed Persinger.

Keeping this goal in mind, Persinger hopes to continue to grow and expand his t-shirt business in the coming months and years. He wishes to collaborate with other artists and businesses in the future, as well as print his own art and designs. Those interested in checking out Groovy Garments can find them at Ashland Makers’ Market and at pop-up events in the area. You can also check out their website at groovy-garments.com. Until then, remember to keep groovin’!

Rising From the Ashes

Remembering the Marshall University Plane Crash of 1970

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

It was on this very day, 53 years ago that residents of Wayne County, WV experienced what is considered the worst single-air tragedy in NCAA sports history. On Nov. 14, 1970, a Southern Airways DC-9 crashed while attempting to land the plane at Tri-State Airport. The crash claimed the lives of all 75 individuals onboard, which included Marshall’s Thundering Herd football team, coaches, community leaders, fans, and flight crew. This devastating incident left a profound impact all throughout the community and sent shockwaves through the world of collegiate athletics.

To experience so much loss all at once was beyond tragic. In the aftermath of the crash, the community and University mourned their losses collectively and leaned on one another for strength. It was as if everyone all at once entered a period of deep reflection and solidarity as the community rallied around the families who had lost so much. Marshall University’s football program was temporarily suspended, and the university faced the challenging task of rebuilding not only its program but also finding a way to rekindle the spirit of a grieving community.

This was no easy feat, but as time passed, Marshall University and the surrounding communities demonstrated what can only be described as remarkable resilience. Marshall’s football program was eventually revived and with it a newfound spirit of the Thundering Herd. In the face of unimaginable adversity, Marshall University and the surrounding communities have emerged as a beacon of hope, resilience, and inspiration. Instead of succumbing to the great despair, the citizens of Wayne County, WV, chose to rise above the tragic adversity they were faced with and turned that grief into a driving force for change.

Season after season, Marshall’s Thundering Herd has become a narrative of triumph over tragedy. Through many prayers, a fighting spirit, and unwavering support from a community that bleeds green… Marshall University not only rebuilt its program from the ground up, but somehow managed to emerge from the ashes stronger, more cohesive, and more determined than ever. Those 75 lives lost on that tragic day 53 years ago will never be forgotten because their spirits will continue to be the force that drives Marshall’s Thundering Herd to success season after season.

Patty Horton Osborne, a graduate of Marshall University of the class of 2001, will never forget that day. Osborne recalled seeing the aftermath of the wreckage a day or so  after the crash, “I was so young. I couldn’t fully grasp what my eyes were laying witness to as I sat on my knees staring out the back window of my parents’ car. I know it was the next day after the crash, and it’s something I will never forget. As far as my young eyes could see, I saw pieces of the wreckage all around. It glistened in the sun.” Osborne stated that seeing those images with her own eyes has been something that has stuck with her to this day. “It’s just not something you can easily forget,” shared Osborne.

Upon graduating from Marshall University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders in 1998, Osborne felt even closer to the Marshall community, and this eventually led to Osborne helping to create a scholarship fund in honor of the Moeller High School Trio. The Moeller High School Trio consisted of Mark Andrews- offensive line for the Thundering Herd, Bob Harris- backup quarterback for the Thundering Herd, and Jack Rapasy- receiver for the Thundering Herd. Andrews, Harris, and Rapasy were among the 75 individuals who lost their lives in the devastating plane crash of 1970.  All three men were from the Cincinnati Ohio area and were in the process of obtaining a degree in business and/or marketing at the time of the crash.

The $1000 scholarship is an expandable fund that was graciously provided by Patricia Osborne and Brandon Greene, in memory of Mark Andrews, Bob Harris, and Jack Repasy. This $1000 scholarship is available to anyone who is a full-time student, resident of Cincinnati Ohio and/or Hamilton County, Ohio and has a GPA of 2.5 or higher. First preference will be given to a marketing major in the College of Business and second preference will be given to any other business major in the College of Business. Osborne shared she felt that she was led by God to create this scholarship in honor of Andrews, Harris, and Rapasy. She is thrilled they were finally able to award funds to the scholarship's first recipient who wishes to remain anonymous at this time.

The Moeller Trio Scholarship fund not only commemorates the lives of those lost but also reflects the resilience of a community that refused to be defined by a tragedy that shook them to their very core. The Marshall plane crash will always remain a tragic chapter in history, but with the establishment of this scholarship fund and many others like it, it stands as a testament to a community's strength, resilience, and commitment to ensuring that the memory of the victims of that tragic day will live on through the recipient’s pursuit of knowledge and opportunity.