By LORI KERSEY
Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — To mark the anniversary of last year’s devastating flood, several West Virginia communities are planning services and events. Friday is the one-year anniversary of the flood, which killed about two dozen people and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes across central West Virginia.
(Gazette-Mail file photo)
The Clendenin Ministerial Association is planning the Clendenin Area Remembrance Event for Friday and Saturday. The event will start at 7 p.m. Friday with a gospel sing featuring the Tanner Boys and the Gospel Harmony Boys in the parking lot of Smith’s Foodfair.
“We don’t want to celebrate because there’s still a lot of families not in their homes,” Ferguson said. “But we don’t want to forget either. The goal is to be able to remember [those] that perished and honor the volunteers and people who have gave of themselves to help our community get back up on its feet.
“It’s not a dirge or memorial service; we just want to remember,” he said.
Celebration Recovery will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Clay County Courthouse Square in Clay. The event will feature food, prayer, gospel music, a balloon launch and candle lighting.
“We want to take time to look at how far we have come in Clay County since the horrific flood,” a flier posted on Facebook for the event reads. “We still have a ways to go to get back to a new normal, but we can if we continue to work together because we are Clay County Strong.”
A candlelight remembrance service will mark the anniversary in Rainelle. The service is planned for 8 p.m. Friday in the Rainelle Town Hall.
In White Sulphur Springs, the city and an event committee is planning three days of events starting with a dedication for a flood memorial 3 p.m. Friday at Old Mill Park, according to a Facebook page for the event. The dedication will include a reading of names of those who died in the flood. At 4 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Nicely Park, which is located on Mill Hill Drive at the site of a home that washed away in the flood.
At 4:30 p.m., the community will dedicate Brad Paisley Community Park on Mill Hill Drive. The event will include a community picnic.
The night will conclude with music by Under the Gun from 5 to 9 p.m. From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, there will be a family day on the parking lot of Old White Motors on Main Street. The family day — which will include art therapy, service dogs, face painting, counseling and more — will end at 2 p.m. with a balloon release.
From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Midland Trail Park, there will be a concert by Wyatt Turner. On Sunday at 11 a.m., there will be a nondenominational church service at Brad Paisley Community Park.
The town of Richwood will have a celebration and concert at 5 p.m. Friday at the Sterling Spencer Memorial Sculpture Garden. The event will include a potluck dinner, Mayor Bob Henry Baber said.
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