Spring 2024 Currents

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Free Local Livelihood

Museum Curator Mechanic Veterinarian

what’s inside

3 Museum curator wants to continue to tell stories

By Gretchen Dowler

4 After 45 years, Egbert still keeping local vehicles running

By Evan Bevins

5 Pediatrician impressed with new ER staff

By Michelle Dillon

7 Business owners worked hard for success

By Wayne Towner

10 Future looks bright for Huck’s owners

By Clara Noelle

11 Dr. Davis strives to ease parents’ worry

By Brett Dunlap

13

By Jess Mancini

16

By Kristin Hainkel

By

Museum curator wants to continue to tell stories

By Gretchen Dowler

RAVENSWOOD — While many people might have been to a museum or two, they rarely think of what goes into curating the museum and all the artifacts that reside inside or how the museum gets their message about preserving the past out to the world.

One profession that tackles all of those unanswered questions is a museum director, and someone who holds that title near and dear to their heart is none other than Faith Walker of Ravenswood.

Walker is the director of the Great Bend Museum in Ravenswood and wears many other hats. She attended Miami University in Ohio and studied archeology and anthropology as well as arts history and museums. But Walker admits she wasn’t always into history.

“I didn’t like history class at all until I received my first Ameri-

can Girl doll, Felicity Merriman,” she said. “My family took me to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, all places Felicity had been, and that was when I found my passion.”

Walker started looking for a job during COVID to put her two bachelors degrees in art and architecture history and anthropology to work. That’s when she found AmeriCorps History Preservation. During that time she also worked with Preserve West Virginia Preservation Alliance at around 30 sites, including the Great Bend Museum.

The museum was founded in 1972 by the Jackson County Historical Society. It tells many stories of Jackson County and Ravenswood history with items, photographs and documents mostly donated to the museum.

The museum was joined together with the Sayre Log Cabin from Cow Run (Cottageville) in 1982. The Historical Society gave the museum and cabin to the City of Ravenswood in 2020.

A year later, Walker was hired as interim director of the museum, became the first paid staff member, and now two years later, is the official director of the museum.

“It’s been so fulfilling, and it’s been cool getting to learn the technical side of the museum process,” Walker said. “It’s been fun to try new things, and I’m very grateful for this experience.”

Walker’s involvement as museum director includes “everything,” she joked, from curation, research, collection management and documentation to computer database creation, cataloging, preservation, event coordinator, social media manager and news

“We’re continuing to grow and we keep asking ourselves the question ‘What stories do we want to tell?.’”

columnist.

“With curation, we’re telling a story with a picture and things and you have to find similar things and topics that relate this thing to that thing,” said Walker. “When I started, I only had newspaper clippings and notecards to go off of. Like this one notecard mentions a clock, but this newspaper piece tells the story about the clock and now it’s not just a clock anymore.

“Our computer database catalogs our collection within the museum and currently has around 1,300 items stored. These records are useful to everyone and give public access to the museum. We make these catalog sheets that describe the item and then we make sure that the item is stored properly.”

As events coordinator of the museum, Walker puts on Jackson County trivia nights as well as presentations about the art and science of conservation. She also applies for grants for the museum, writes the news column for the museum’s monthly newsletter and oversees volunteers Brenda Webb and Carol Crow, and high school co-op Ben Crow.

In addition to that work, she also wrote up the

plans and policies, emergency plans and volunteer handbook for the museum. Walker also added a gift shop to the museum last February and has started developing new signage for the outside of the museum.

Her newest project includes a photo exhibit to showcase Ravenswood resident Clara Weisheit, who took over 4,000 photos during her lifetime.

Walker works on exhibits highlighting Kaiser Aluminum, Jackson County business and industry, life in a river town, Anna Howell’s General Store and Lock 22. She is also planning on creating an escape room surrounding Lock 22. Although those are just a “few” of Walker’s jobs, goals, plans and ambitions for the museum, she has many more up her sleeve and continues to strive to grow the Great Bend Museum in Ravenswood as she carries on with her preservation of regional history.

“We want the younger generation to be hands-on with history so they are encouraged to learn, like with our touchable typewriter, rolodex and rotary phone that they can explore with at the museum,” Walker said. “We’re continuing to grow, and we keep asking ourselves the question ‘what stories do we want to tell?.”

Great River Bend Museum

Open Tuesday through Saturday: noon to 4

Faith WalkerMuseum Curator

After 45 years, Egbert continues to keep vehicles running at Sheppard’s Auto Service

By Evan Bevins

PARKERSBURG — Danny Egbert’s been fixing automobiles in the Mid-Ohio Valley for a long time, but he’s not ready to stop working – or learning.

“I still enjoy what I do,” said Egbert, who’s been with Sheppard’s Auto Service on Seventh Street in Parkersburg for 45 years, the last 12 as shop manager. “I love the people here. We’ve built a great business together.”

A resident of Palestine in Wirt County, Egbert started learning from his father, an aviation machinist’s mate who worked on aircraft engines for the U.S. Navy.

“I was under the hood of our car at home with him when I was just a little thing,” Egbert recalled. “I always enjoyed working with my hands.”

When Egbert graduated from high school in 1975, he got a job at Weggman’s Volkswagen in Parkersburg, learning mechanical work. He later was employed by Montgomery Ward, occasionally delivering furniture, “but most of the time I spent there was in the auto garage.”

Egbert would continue learning in an auto mechanics night class at Parkersburg Community College, now West Virginia University at Parkersburg. His instructor was John Sheppard, owner of Sheppard’s Auto Service.

how to treat people.”

After getting to know Egbert through the class, Sheppard offered him a job at his business in 1978.

“I had a great mentor,” he said.

“John Sheppard was a great man as far as

“I was under the hood of our car at home with him when I was just a little thing. I always enjoyed working with my hands.”

Danny EgbertAuto shop manager

Egbert brings lots of knowledge and patience to the job, said Debbie Lynch, the office manager at Sheppard’s for nearly 23 years.

“He’s a great teacher to all the guys that have come through here in the last 45 years,” she said.

Egbert said arthritis means he “can’t turn wrenches anymore like I used to” but he still enjoys trying to diagnose issues with cars. He also road tests vehicles before and after repairs and does “a lot of parts hunting,” a task that has become more challenging in recent years.

Egbert said it seems the quality of parts suffered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, something he speculates was the result of fewer people working and folks with experience retiring and passing away.

Sheppard emphasized treating people based on his Christian faith, Egbert said, something that continues to be important in the business today.

Even though those principles remain the same, Egbert has had to keep learning as the way cars are made has changed, with the use of computers becoming ever more prevalent.

When Sheppard retired about 12 years ago and sold the business to his son, Egbert stepped up as shop manager.

“It was a natural move,” he said. “I love the teaching part, trying to impart knowledge to the next generation.

“If we don’t have older folks teaching the younger folks how to do it right, we’re lost.”

There were two vehicles at the shop recently for which parts have been ordered but they “have no idea when or if we can ever get them,” Egbert said. It took six months to get a backup camera for a Ford vehicle last year.

Egbert is particular about parts. He often doesn’t trust the quality of after-market parts and is reluctant to install a used part in a vehicle where that system might already be prone to issues.

“You don’t want to put a used part on and then six months later it goes bad, because of that same issue,” he said. “That’s not good business.

“You try to do the best job you can for people and try to take care of them,” he said. “We try to fix it right the first time.”

Pediatrician impressed with new ER staff

By Michelle Dillon

MARIETTA — Memorial Health System opened a pediatric emergency department in partnership with Akron Children’s Hospital at Memorial’s Belpre campus on Jan. 3.

The pediatric emergency department is open 2 p.m. to midnight seven days a week. The southeastern part of Ohio did not have pediatric-focused emergency care, and patients had to travel hours aways from home to receive the care they needed, so the pediatric emergency department was opened to deliver a top-in-the-nation emergency experience with board certified pediatric emergency providers, according to Memorial’s website.

One of these providers is Dr. Brett Luxmore, who is also the director of Memorial’s pediatric emergency department in Belpre. Luxmore’s career at MHS is as new as the pediatric emergency department; He started working there in January of this year. Prior to MHS, Luxmore worked for Akron Children’s for more than 25 years, starting there in 1997.

Dr. Brett Luxmore - Pediatrician

Luxmore worked as a clinician in Akron Children’s ER and practiced pediatric emergency medicine there. He does this at the Belpre pediatric emergency department too, Luxmore said.

“My role has primarily been as a clinician,” Luxmore said.

Luxmore attended Hiram College in Portage County and received a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. Then he attended Ohio Unversity’s Heritage College of Osteopathic medicine for medical school.

Luxmore was convinced to go to medical school when he worked with pediatric emergency room Dr. Marty Hellman at Akron Children’s.

“I was able to shadow (Hellman) who influenced me on taking that chance,” Luxmore said.

After medical school completed a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Akron Children’s.

He worked for a few years in different roles, then started at Akron Children’s in 1997. He practiced pediatric emergency medicine when he worked at Akron Children’s and eventually worked his way up to being Akron Children’s Emergency medical director.

Luxmore ended up working for Memorial when his boss asked him if he was interested in heading up the Belpre pediatric emergency department.

He said the staff at Belpre is amazing and has been working for months on the pediatric emergency department. Most of the work for it was done before he came to Memorial.

“I couldn’t be more impressed with that group,” Luxmore said. “I’d like to take credit, but I can’t.”

As head of the pediatric emergency department, Luxmore schedules himself and the other providers, participates in meetings about what sicknesses the area is seeing and what equipment is needed to handle it, helps make sure they have the right medicines and doses to handle health issues in the area, finds out if there are any IT or medical record issues, handles positive reviews and complaints from patients and their families, determines the orthopedic devices needed by hospital staff and helps keep them stocked and other continuum of care duties.

Luxmore is married and has one son. His mother lives with him in his home. He also shares his home with two dogs, a golden retriever and a French bulldog.

Luxmore likes to travel, cook and perform outdoor work like mowing and gardening. He and his mother like to make salsa together and she assists with a lot of the day-to-day at home, Luxmore said.

Luxmore also likes to fish, both fly fishing and spin casting, and is looking forward to exploring the area for fishing.

As for his career goals, he said he plans to “make this ER outstanding. He wants to help make the people around him and the process of patient care even better.

Fun facts about Dr. Luxmore:

* Traveler

* Likes to cook and make salsa with his mother

* Has two dogs, a golden retriever and french bulldog

* Enjoys fishing; fly fishing and spin casting

“I couldn’t be more impressed with that group. I’d like to take credit, but I can’t.”

Photo by Michelle Dillon

Dr. Brett Luxmore, second from left, at the official opening of the pediatric emergency department in Belpre.

A-One owners worked hard for success

By Wayne Towner

PARKERSBURG — A-One

Heating & Cooling is a local family-owned home service business which has operated in the MidOhio Valley since 1987.

The company, which was started by co-owners Larry and Rebecca Wells, provides heating, air conditioning and HVAC services in West Virginia and Ohio, serving homes and businesses.

The company offers furnace installation, heat pump installation, air conditioning repair and more.

Its service area includes Wood, Jackson, Ritchie, Wirt and Pleasants counties in West Virginia and Washington and Morgan counties in Ohio.

Rebecca Wells said the company will mark its 37th anniversary on April 1. She and her husband were in their early 20s when they decided to open the busi-

Larry and Rebecca Wells- business owners

ness. Larry worked for a company in south Parkersburg called A1 Mobile Home Supply, as their service technician and installer. Rebecca said her husband’s youth made some people hesitant at first but he knew the business well and would soon win them

over.

“We still have customers from back then that still talk about Larry and his knowledge and how surprised they were, you know how young he looked, but how much he knew,” she said.

The owners of the mobile

home supply business decided they didn’t want to do service work anymore, just sell the products.

“So they basically just said ‘Hey here’s a van, here’s your tools.’ I don’t remember what the amount was but ‘pay us so much a month until you pay this off and we’ll just send the customers to you,’ so that’s kind of how we got started.”

Rebecca herself was working two other jobs initially, as a waitress and at the Holiday Inn, so she quit both and they bought a desk and an adding machine.

She still uses the same adding machine to this day. The company operated out of their house until 2014 when they decided they needed to separate work from home.

They moved into their current building at 120 19th St. off Garfield Avenue and have continued working since.

Rebecca said the early years could be a struggle at times, especially with two young children, but they kept working at it.

At one point, she worked other jobs to provide insurance for the family since that can be expensive for small, family-owned operations.

Around 2000, she decided to focus on taking care of the business side of things at A-One.

From the pair of them and one van, the company has grown to include several more employees and several vans servicing the Mid-Ohio Valley.

“I think people see our vans around and people can just stop in here. We have a place to store equipment now,” she said.

“We’re still considered a small business but we do a lot of work and I think one of the things about our success is we are just honest with people. You know we’re not out there just trying to sell something all the time. You know if we can fix it, we’re gonna fix it as opposed to just trying to sell someone an expensive new system,” she said.

If they don’t provide a service, Rebecca said A-One has people they can recommend for that work, such as plumbing or duct cleaning.

“Mainly we’ve just always done heating and air-conditioning. That’s the one thing we do and we do the best that we can,” she said.

“We’ve done this since we were in our early 20s and we’re very hands-on. We deal with our customers ourselves … We try to treat our customers like they are our friends or our family, you know that’s important to us.”

Rebecca appreciates what the community has done for the company, including voting it as the Parkersburg News and Sentinel’s Readers’ Choice on four occasions. The company also works to support the community, sponsoring youth sports teams, helping with programs like Toys for Tots and others. In the last few years, A-One has done a program called “nominate your neighbor,” where the company gives away a free heating and cooling system. In the past they’ve worked with Old Man Rivers, the Wirt County Senior Center and most recently gave a new system to a gentleman that had ALS.

“People can email us from our website and nominate someone that they thought deserved a heating and air-conditioning system,” she said.

“We’re still considered a small business but we do a lot of work and I think one of the things about our success is we are just honest with people. You know we’re not out there just trying to sell something all the time. You know if we can fix it, we’re gonna fix it” as opposed to just trying to sell someone an expensive new system.”

Photo Provided

Ty Adkins is one of the installers working for A-One Heating and Cooling in Parkersburg.

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Future looks bright for Huck’s owners

By Clara Noelle

MARIETTA —Ownership of local small business Huck’s Farm Market transferred in September 2022 to high school sweethearts Jim and Kirsten Goeller.

“We always kind of wanted to own our own business,” said Kirsten Goeller.

Jim Goeller handles the business full time with day-to-day operations while Kirsten handles the Facebook account, helps in the evening with orders and general “behind-the-scenes” tasks.

Kirsten Goeller said it took about a year to buy the business.

She works full-time as a teacher at Marietta High School. She teaches Spanish I, Spanish II and yearbook. She is also the adviser for the MHS chapter of National Honor Society and the class of 2025.

The Goellers have four children, and the three eldest work at the market when they can. According to Kirsten Goeller, the youngest likes to go to the market and play around.

“We are enjoying ourselves,

and it’s something we can do as a family. It’s definitely a hope of ours to keep (the business) in the family,” adds Kirsten Goeller.

“It takes a lot of patience to buy a business,” she said.

Since the Goellers bought Huck’s, they have started keeping the business open during the winter, which the previous owners did not do.

“It actually worked out great,” said Kirsten Goeller. “We gotta stay organized. We’re always thinking about the next season.”

The Goellers have also opened up a new location under their ownership.

The new location is at 114 Putnam St and has breakfast, sandwiches, hot food and snack foods.

“It’s been really fun,” said Kirsten Goeller. “We’ve been really excited.”

She said they had a good start at the main market on Muskingum Drive and it was always a goal to grow the business.

“It just seemed like the perfect little spot to grow and keep growing over time,” said Kirsten Goeller.

“We are enjoying ourselves, and it’s something we can do as a family. It’s definitely a hope of ours to keep (the business) in the family.”

Kirsten Goeller

Kirsten Goeller- farmer’s market owner

Photos by Clara Noelle

Gabriel Fornier, employee at Huck’s, arranges merchandise.

Dr. Davis strives to ease parents’ worry

By Brett Dunlap

PARKERSBURG — For Dr. Charles Davis, being able to treat kids in immediate need and ease the worry of their parents is a continuous goal.

Davis works as a rapid care pediatrician at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center’s new Southgate Medical Complex in south Parkersburg.

“Many of the interactions I get with children are just wonderful,” he said. “I am able to treat the problem and make a difference.”

Born and raised in Welch, W.Va., by a family who worked in the coal mines, Davis said that upbringing instilled in him a strong work ethic as well as an understanding of what people in the Appalachian region face when seeking medical care, from when they decide to get care to how they will pay for it, as there are a lot of people with Medicaid and/

or Medicare. As people get older, a lot of the choices they have made in life and the things they do to their bodies affect their overall health. However, with children, they have no real control over a lot of what happens when it comes to sickness and injuries.

“I can serve as a voice for a child who otherwise doesn’t have it,” Davis said. “That is a huge motivator.”

He feels he relates to children so well because he is basically “a big kid at heart.” He also has a wife (Suzanne) and a 5-year-old daughter (Evie) so he also sees a lot of things from a parent’s point-of-view and understands the worry and concern when parents have to take their child to a doctor.

While in high school he was involved in a scholarship program, the Health Sciences Technology Academy for students interested in S.T.E.M. fields, such as medicine and engineering.

“I had done some community service work within medicine to keep that scholarship,” he said.

Over time in both high school and college through the community service he did, he became more attuned to the possibility of going into medicine.

While in high school he volunteered at Welch Community Hospital, helping where he could. He was in the triage area when someone came in who had been mugged and stabbed.

“It was a bit of a panic situation,” Davis said. “They asked me to stay by his side.

“I couldn’t do anything then so I just held his hand and assured him everything would be ok and they were doing everything they could.”

The doctors eventually took the man to the operating room. Davis wasn’t sure if he was going to live or die.

“I left crying,” he said. “I was really torn up about it. I was 15-16 at the time.”

He returned a couple of days later for his next volunteer shift and was told the man was still there and that he should go see him.

“It turns out he was the grandfather of one of my friends and football teammates,” Davis said. “It really hit me.

“This was more than helping a stranger. You never know the effect you are going to have on other people.”

He carried that experience into college at Marshall University where he initially did a double major in biology and English with the initial hope he might become a writer.

He continued to impact people in small ways through acts of kindness. He began to be open to the idea of going into medicine.

“There was a chance that this is what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I took the steps to apply to medical school.”

Davis also attended medical school at Marshall, where he was able to continue with his scholarship.

“At that point, I didn’t know I

wanted to do pediatrics,” Davis said.

He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school and go to college. He and another student in his high school were the only ones who ended up going to a major state university.

There was a time he almost dropped out of high school to go to work in the mines. However, after three months he realized how physically demanding the work would be on his body and decided to continue with his education.

He has also dabbled in a number of things during his life from being a drummer in a band to having written a 420-page novel he hopes to get back to soon and properly edit. He has done standup comedy and played football for a brief time at Marshall before an injury made him have to give it up.

“I enjoy trying to experience anything I can,” he said. “I have no regrets in the stuff I have done.”

Davis said he wants to be that example to people in the more rural parts of the state to show them these kinds of things are possible with the right encouragement.

“You can do this too,” he said.

Davis eventually chose to go into pediatrics.

“My wife jokes it is because I’m a big child,” he said. “I’m basically a 10-year-old in a 30-year-old body.”

During his time in medical school, he did a number of rotations in multiple fields. Davis was given the advice early on to keep an open mind to see what discipline fit him best.

If someone looks at their worst day on a rotation and if it was still better than something else they have done then that may be the area they want to go into, he said.

“I worked my hardest in the

pediatric ICU and neonatal ICU,” Davis said. “After that, I still came home excited to talk about what I was doing.

“I was never overwhelmed in a way that made me feel negative about it.”

He is in his sixth year of being a pediatrician. He did his residency at the Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Va., which is part of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

After finishing his residency, he was in a practice in the Gallipolis, Ohio, and Point Pleasant, W.Va., areas doing general pediatrics.

He needed a change and had applied for a similar position at Camden Clark. That was when the Rapid Care pediatrician position came up.

“I felt like the work-life balance was great,” Davis said of being able to be there for his family while still being able to help people.

“This job allows me to do that, and it is incredible,” he added.

Photo Provided

Physician Assistant Hannah Dugan, Pediatric Hospitalist Dr. Dindhu Barola and Pediatrician Dr. Charles Davis confer while looking at a chart on a computer at the new Southgate Medical Complex, part of WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center.

Cosmetologists make you look good so you feel good. Confidence is sexy, don’t you think?

By Jess Mancini

PARKERSBURG — Cosmetologists, hair stylists and barbers feel good when they make others look and feel good.

“I love to make people feel empowered, beautiful,” said Alyssa Farnsworth, a student at the Artisan School of Cosmetology in Belpre.

Previously, Farnsworth, 28, worked at a casino for five years, then became a stay-at-home mom with her son. Looking to the future, cosmetology was always a passion, she said.

“I really wanted to do something for myself,” she said.

Farnsworth interviewed at the school, then signed on.

“I enrolled immediately,” she said.

Her husband, Justin, was supportive from the beginning. Their son, Myles, turned 3, in February.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without him,” she said.

Ninety-four percent of students have a job before they graduate from the Artisan School, Mark Binegar, who co-owns the school with Chad Clark, said. All graduates, of which there have been more than 400 since opening in 2012, have passed the state board exams on their first try and many have started their own businesses, Binegar said.

“I’m not sure what other schools or professions can say that,” Binegar said.

Four programs are offered at Artisan: cosmetology, nail tech, hair designer and esthetician, which is skin care and facials.

The esthetician program is popular and has grown as baby boomers grow older and want to take care of their skin, he said.

Adding to the market potential are men getting facials, Binegar said.

“You would be surprised at how many men get facials, manis and pedis,” Binegar said.

Kaitlyn Hornbeck, 20, Reedsville, graduated in February from the Artisan School and is concentrating on passing the boards. The former student at West Virginia University at Parkersburg was encouraged by her aunt.

“I really love coloring, highlights, all of that,” she said.

Hair coloring has become a favorite aspect of the industry, Jessica Freeman, instructional specialist at the West Virginia University Parkersburg School of Cosmetology and Esthetics, said.

“They’re all excited about hair coloring,” she said.

Kamryn Deem Cosmetology Student

Riley Dunbar Cosmetology Student

Kamryn Deem, 19, of Vienna, a student, is among those attracted to hair coloring.

“I’ve always had a love for doing hair. I really like all of it,” she said. “I enjoy doing hair coloring the best.”

Nail art unleashes the artistic side of Riley Dunbar, 20, a student from Parkersburg, and is among her favorite of the cosmetological disciplines.

“I can express my creativity through my nail art,” said Dunbar, who said she is following her mother and sister into the profession.

Johnathan Duff, a student at the WVU Parkersburg school, intends to attend barber school and perhaps someday become an instructor as the educational setting is enjoyable, he said.

Duff said he would rather cut men’s hair.

“I have no desire to do women’s hair,” he said.

The college, which opened in August and works with the Wood County Technical Center, has 40 students, Director Lisa Carter said. Graduation rates therefore aren’t available, but the school frequently receives inquiries from prospective employers, she said.

An advisory board keeps the college abreast of the demand for qualified cosmetologists, Carter said.

“We do have quite a few people who they’re working with,” she said.

The demand for cosmetologists has grown with Baby Boomers aging, Carter said. They want to take care of their skin and hair, she said.

“Baby Boomers are retiring and there is a growing need for cosmetologists,” she said.

While women are predominant in the market, about 60-40 women to men, men, too, are just as conscious about how they look, Carter said.

“You know, cover up that little bit of gray,” she said.

“I’ve always had a love for doing hair. I really like all of it. I enjoy doing hair coloring the best.”

Kamryn Deem

Alyssa Farnsworth, left, and Kaitlyn Hornbeck- Cosmetology Students

Jonathan DuffCosmetology Student

Photo by Jess Mancini

Enthusiastic students gather for a group picture at the Artisan School of Cosmetology in Belpre.

Students and instructors pose for a photo in front of the new West Virginia University Parkersburg School of Cosmetology and Esthetics. From left, first row, Siann Daniels, Chantel Rader, Natalia Alvarez, instructor Jessica Freeman, Billi Tingler and Tesla Lyons. Back row, Victoria Schrechengost, Kylie Johnson, Director Lisa Carter, Kamryn Deem, Rylee Evans, Sammi Nay, Lanie Johnson, Riley Dunbar and Johnathan Duff.

Kindness still spreads through local florist

By Kristen Hainkel

PARKERSBURG — A locally owned flower shop has been spreading kindness through flowers in Parkersburg for over 125 years.

Obermeyer’s was founded in 1899 by Gustave and Lousie Obermeyer. The couple had immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1896. Gustave started greenhouses in their current location at 3504 Central Ave and later opened a Seventh Street location.

Upon his death in 1945, his daughter Marie Obermeyer Taylor assumed the business. Russell and Gordon Jemison purchased it in 1950 and remained owners until 1977. The Jemisons then sold it to Bob and Linda Brownfield, who owned the business until 2015.

The current owners, Amy and Tom Perkins, purchased Obermeyer’s from the Brownfields in 2015.

Their daughters, Tina Perkins and Jennifer Perkins, manage the business. Tina is the design manager and Jennifer is the office manager.

“We are the fourth family to own this business,” Amy said.

“We have nine total employees here,” Tina added. “We work as a unit. We’re all a family here.

Amy said Obermeyer’s handles flower arrangements, funeral deliveries and casket sprays.

Also during Christmastime, they sell grave blankets made of evergreen plants.

“A lot of customers we know by name. If your customers aren’t happy, they won’t come back. We strive really hard to make sure they are happy.”

Amy said the reason Obermeyer’s has remained in businessquality products and customer service.

“Obermeyer’s has always stood for quality products,” she said.

Tina said at least 70% of their glassware for flower vases comes from U.S. manufacturers.

“We try to buy as much American made as possible,” she said. “It keeps America going.”

Amy said one aspect of good customer service is building relationships with them.

“A lot of customers we know by name,” she said.

“If your customers aren’t happy, they won’t come back. We strive really hard to make sure they are happy.”

Amy said the two busiest days of the year are Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Amy Perkins

Tina PerkinsFlorist

Tina said during the week of Valentine’s Day, they delivered approximately 500 orders in their delivery area of five West Virginia counties and two in Ohio.

“At Valentine’s, we had someone who said they are a thirdgeneration shopper with us,” Tina added.

Tina said she has one favorite aspect of working at Obermeyer’s.

“I like working with customers and surprising them. There’s still kindness being spread throughout the years,” she said.

“I like working with customers and surprising them. There’s still kindness being spread throughout the years.”

Tina Perkins

Vacation, nails and clothes galore

Businesswoman promises vacation mode all year round

By Candice Black

Dawn Hall, owner of Island Time Oasis in south Parkersburg, aims to bring her happy place to customers through her clothing boutique, handmade beauty products and nail services.

Born out of the woes of COVID, Island Time was originally a shop where Hall sold handmade crafts. Once everything started opening back up, the clothes started coming in.

“I expanded on the clothes and got rid of the crafts and it’s just (gone) from there. It’s all been accident, it’s all been God,” Hall said. “This has been just a great little addition and that’s because of COVID.”

A boutique isn’t your typical shopping experience and Hall said it’s because each shop is a reflection of the owner. For her, the beach is her happy place and she wants to share that ‘vacation’ feeling with all of her customers even if it’s the middle of winter.

“That’s one of the things that makes each boutique (unique) is because it is a reflection of the owner. If it fits your personality, that’s the place for her. It doesn’t make us in competition, it just makes us extra,” she said. “When they walk in here, they really truly feel like they’re on vacation.”

When someone walks through the door, Hall sends the message that “your vacation starts here.”

On Sundays at 4 p.m., Hall goes live on Facebook to have fun, show off clothes and

Dawn Hall- nail tech/boutique owner

describe the look and feel of them.

“It’s your day to relax. This just throws in a little bit of entertainment because I’m just as goofy as all get out. That makes things more fun,” she said.

“I try to do a little bit of everything but the resort-wear is where I come out. It’s always different.”

Along with new and gently loved clothes, Hall also offers her own homemade beauty products including body butters, hand sanitizers and sugar scrubs.

“I developed those because I’m a tanner, I

just don’t want to look like a tanner. I want to take care of my skin. Your skin is your largest organ on your body and it is the one that is the most not taken care of,” she said. “My products are infused with collagen, retinol, vitamin A, K, E and C.”

Although Hall loves selecting clothes for the boutique, her true passion lies with the nail industry. She began her career as a nail technician 23 years ago and is now an instructor at the WVU Parkersburg School of Cosmetology.

“Twenty-three years ago, I had to drive to Charleston five days a week, eight hours a day. Half of their program is online, and the other half is three hours with me four days a week. It is an amazing program and they are state of the art. They are using Tammy Taylor products so it is the best product in the world,” Hall said. She hopes one of her students will one day be the next Dawn Hall because she “can’t do this forever,” she said.

Before the pandemic hit, most people would have agreed that getting your nails done is a luxury service and not a necessity. But Hall said because it was unaccessible for so long, she realized the importance of that small piece of self-care.

“When we were shut down, it’s moved into self-care. It moved into mental care. You feel good when you get your nails done,” she said.

“Nails are the only thing you can purchase in retail therapy that has the longest high. Two weeks later, you still have that high. It’s a happy day, it’s nail day!”

Her success as a nail technician would not have been without her local customers, some of whom have come to her every two weeks for her entire career.

“That makes me feel blessed. This is where God intended for me to be. I get to have my little services when I want. When God shows up, God shows up,” Hall said.

“Nails are the only thing you can purchase in retail therapy that has the longest high. Two weeks later, you still have that high. It’s a happy day, it’s nail day!”

Dawn Hall

A Rich Heritage .

R.W Miller Plumbing & Electric, Inc was first established as Miller Electric in 1946 by Robert and Raymond Miller following their service in the United States Army during WWII. Originally the company was founded to provide electrical service and wiring to homes in the country as the utility grid became more widespread and readily available. The first office location was in a building at the lower end of Beverly that would later house Goddard’s Darietta.

In 1964, R.W. Miller Plumbing & Electric, Inc moved to the Beverly Ice Plant Building. The space was renovated to become the current retail storefront and the company name was changed to R.W. Miller Plumbing & Electric, Inc to reflect the growth of service offerings.

Our family-owned and operated business has expanded to provide residential and commercial plumbing, electric and HVAC services throughout the surrounding area and has been a Lennox dealer since 1950.

Local vet serving animals small and large

By Douglass Huxley

VIENNA — Veterinary medicine is a challenging field to be in. Patients aren’t able to use words and tell doctors what is wrong, what hurts or how they are feeling. Veterinarians have to use the tools provided by lab work and examinations, as well as their extensive training and talents to assess each patient’s situation and come up with a solution.

“It can be stressful, timeconsuming, gut-wrenching and incredibly rewarding! There is nothing better than seeing a patient who was really struggling when they first came to us and is now flourishing,” Melody Wright, practice manager at Vienna Veterinary Clinic said. “In veterinary medicine, we rely on our patients’ parents to work diligently with us to get great results. It’s also a real gift to be able to work with a patient from a baby to old age. This gives us a great opportunity to build a lifelong relationship of love and trust with them and their parents.”

The Vienna Veterinary Clinic was started by Dr. Jenna Palmer in 2017. Before that, Palmer had been traveling across two states and covering 10 counties in West Virginia and Ohio for her large/ farm animal practice Palmer Veterinary Services, which she founded in 2012. Palmer was born in San Antonio, Texas and moved often with her father, a West Virginia University (WVU) graduate, being a colonel in the United States Air Force.

“She has always consid-

ered West Virginia her home,” Wright said.

Palmer attended WVU where she earned her bachelor of science in animal and veterinary sciences in 2006. From there, she went on to graduate school at Tuskegee University-College of Veterinary Medicine, and in 2010, she graduated with her doctorate of veterinary medicine. After graduation, she returned to West Virginia and worked with a couple of local clinics. In 2017, she purchased a building on Grand Central Avenue and expanded her practice to include dogs and cats, opening the Vienna Veterinary Clinic. Wright said since opening, the clinic has cared for more than 12,000 patients.

The Vienna Veterinary Clinic website says Palmer has always had a love and passion for animals of all sizes. It says even as a little girl, she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up and that she was fortunate enough to have a supportive family who encouraged her and shared her dream.

Wright said there is a nationwide shortage of veterinarians and the strain on the current ones to see the growing number of patients is grueling.

“People assume that doctors go into veterinary medicine to ‘make a lot of money’ or that it’s all fun and that the staff gets to play with horses, cows, dogs and kitties all day. That’s not really accurate,” Wright said. “The reality is that there are far fewer veterinary schools and the requirements to be accept-

ed are much more difficult than medical school. That’s not to take anything away from our amazing human physicians; there are just a lot more medical schools available so the competition isn’t as rigorous.”

Wright said one of the biggest misconceptions is that because veterinarians are doctors, they earn the same living as human

physicians. She said in reality they make on average half of what a human doctor makes.

“Then there’s the study of species,’ Wright said. “Human physicians master one species, where veterinarians must master multiple species. The degree requires the same amount of schooling.”

Wright said all pets need a routine for regimented care.

Dr. Jenna PalmerVeterinarian

She said they should see their local veterinarian at least once a year for a thorough checkup and that the doctor will listen to their hearts and lungs; do an allover examination of their bodies including eyes, ears, nose, throat and teeth; they will sometimes take blood, urine or stool samples for lab work and give vaccines as well. She said this helps the veterinarian have a good baseline for what each patient’s “normal” might look like in addition to helping the patient’s bodies protect themselves from preventable diseases.

Wright said farm animals need the same care as house pets.

“They all need the basics: food, water, shelter, love and care,” Wright said.

“Its also important for them to have routine vaccinations. We have horses, donkeys, alpacas, goats and sheep as patients who all live mainly outdoors. Vaccines are an important part of our preventative care.”

She said vaccines and preventative care can help protect animals from things like rabies, tetanus, influenza, pink eye and internal parasites.

She said all animals can get sick from things as common as stagnant water and that some illnesses are spread simply by pathogens in the air.

“It’s healthy practice for folks to keep clean water, stalls and bedding for their animals and to check feed often for mold and other contaminants,” Wright said. “This is important for outdoor pets as well as indoor pets.”

Teen dreams of teaching young children

Ryleigh Haught - Future teacher

By Douglass Huxley

ST MARYS — St Marys junior Ryleigh Haught is part of the “Grow Your Own” Future Educators program at the MidOhio Valley Technical Institute (MOVTI) where she is a student teacher in a first grade classroom.

“I absolutely love it,” Haught said. “The kids are so much fun, and it’s never a dull moment.”

Haught said she has a lot of educators in her family with her father being the director of MOVTI, her mother being the principal of the school where she does her student teaching and her cousin being the teacher in that classroom. She said she has her own plans to pursue a career in education and become an educator herself.

“I plan to be a teacher of some sort,” Haught said. “Early education specifically. … My first graders think I’m the best thing since sliced bread.”

Haught also takes her love for teaching with her on the weekends where she teaches Children’s Church at First Baptist Church of Belmont. She said this consists of kids ranging from ages 3 up to fourth and fifth grade. She said it was teaching a class for the summer school program there called “Summer Souls” that really made

her want to become a teacher.

“I got asked to teach the art class for a couple weeks because the teacher was going to be out of town,” Haught said. “Which was a whole new experience for me because I never taught an actual class like that.”

She said she came up with a project where students painted rocks and it went very well.

“It was really cute,” Haught said. “But that was kind of the catalyst for me. Realizing I think I could probably do this. I really enjoy this.”

Haught said her faith and church are very important to her. She said she’s been attending service at First Baptist Church of Belmont her entire life but that she didn’t take it as seriously as she should have when she was younger.

“When I started to be more serious about it, I could see the changes happening in my life because I’m taking my faith more seriously,” Haught said. “I love church. I wake up in the morning and I’m like, ‘Yay! I get to go to church tonight!’ and everyone there is so kind.”

She said she has a sticky note on her mirror that says, “God woke you up this morning for a reason, he’s not done with you yet.”

“A lot of the time I just try to remind myself that if I keep my happiness, and what I want, along with my faith, in the center of my life, I’ll never go the wrong way,” Haught said. “Or I’ll never end up in a circumstance that can’t be fixed.”

Haught said even though she was an only child she had a very large extended family and that her cousins are like siblings to her. She said together with her family they have an organization they call Goat’s Grateful Gang. She said it was named after her uncle whose nickname was Goat and that they do various things for the community.

“Sometimes we put on a spaghetti benefit. Our biggest thing is making chicken noodles, we make chicken noo -

dles out the wazoo,” Haught said. “I could probably make chicken noodles with my eyes closed. Like, homemade egg noodles. It’s a really cool thing. I love being able to say I’m a part of that.”

In her free time, Haught said she enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, hanging out with friends and family, doing nails for her friends and playing the ukulele, trumpet and French horn. She said her hobbies can vary.

“I plan to be a teacher of some sort. Early education specifically. … My first graders think I’m the best thing since sliced bread.”

“I’m one of those people who will pick up a hobby, and then just as quick as I pick it up, I’ll throw it away and start something else,” Haught said.

She said she runs track at St Marys and it’s one of her favorite things to do.

She said she runs the shuttle hurdle and that

Ryleigh Haught

Photo Provided Ryleigh Haught, surrounded by peers and staff, leads a prayer during St Marys High School’s annual “Prayer at the Pole” in September.

although she started running in the sixth grade, she’s been around

it her entire life.

“I’ve been going to the state track meet for as long as I can remember,” Haught said. “And I’ve just had a fascination with it.”

Haught said she doesn’t have any definite plans for college yet but she does have a few schools she is looking at.

She said West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVUP) offers an affordable and local option for her, her “Grow Your Own” program is through Glenville State University and it’s her parent’s alma mater, and Cedarville University in Ohio is a Christian college she’s interested in.

“I think each of those schools has something a little bit different to offer me,” Haught said. “It will just come down to what’s more important (to me).”

She said she isn’t sure where she would like to end up after college. She said that she grew up wanting to live in the city but

now has a better appreciation of small towns.

“This is home, I want to see

things, but I feel like my roots will always be so deep, it’s hard to go away,” Haught said.

Photo Provided

Ryleigh Haught, right, Mary Taylor and Aiden Bills pose for a picture after a family bike ride in October.

PEMBROOK TWO