Ending 2021 With A Bang
We are very much looking forward to 2022. We are already in the process of planning our regular events, including Taste of Parkersburg, Point Park Concerts, and Downtown Throwdown. 2021 has been an interesting year for us all. As is the case with much of the world, Downtown PKB carefully navigated one program at a time, taking great care to make decisions that keep everyone as safe as possible. Our final event of 2021, Winterfest, was back in its traditional fashion. The event included entertainment from local performers, activities for kids, and fireworks.
December has also been spent showing our thanks and appreciation for the service provided by the Parkersburg police, fire, and the streets, electric, and parks departments, with a free lunch from Maka Mia Pizza in downtown Parkersburg. Maka Mia Pizza is owned and operated by Marvin Edwards, who so graciously works this into his busy schedule and even delivers the food with us.
In November, Downtown PKB again registered as a Neighborhood Champion through American Express. We helped promote the annual Shop Small Saturday, which was held on November 27th this year. We provided promotional materials to participating downtown businesses and organizations. We also incentivize downtown shopping with our #ShopPKB program. With this local campaign, shoppers submit $150 in receipts spent at downtown Parkersburg businesses to Downtown PKB for a quarterly $25 Visa gift card.
October was a busy month for us, with Artoberfest and Monster Mash. Artoberfest was in collaboration with the Parkersburg Art Center and was a street fair in the 700 block of Market Street, featuring live music, local art, local food vendors, and the unveiling of the Good Space Mural on the side of the Art Center. Monster Mash was held later in October as a drive-through event, which featured our Winterfest royalty dressed in Halloween costumes, passing out over 600 bags of goodies.
The highlight of September was the progress of the Good Space mural, which Downtown PKB helped fund with a grant from AARP. This mural project was a collaboration with the MOV Arts Collaborative through
WVU-Parkersburg and the Parkersburg Art Center. Several public events were held to include the community in this large-scale project which resulted in the 30 x 40-foot mural. Greta McLain with Good Space Murals was the lead artist on the project, and she created the design based on input from the community members she met with. Anyone could help paint, as she set it up as a giant paint-by-number, in which she “cleaned up” and embellished before hanging the final product.
Next year will be another exciting and busy year for Downtown PKB. Continue to watch our Facebook page (@downtownpkb) and our website (downtownpkb.com) for information on events and projects. If you are interested in being involved in any way, reach out to us at (304) 865-0522. Thank you for your continued support in 2021, and we can’t wait to continue the excitement in 2022. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!