Applause to an Elkins teenager who took it upon himself to spruce up three Blue Star Memorial Marker Gardens that are spread throughout the city. The Blue Star Marker Garden at Elkins City Park has been given a complete facelift thanks to the efforts of Ashton White, his family and others in the community. Last summer, White started off by redoing a Blue Star Marker located on Graceland Drive across from Walgreens. He also provided landscaping and pruning at a Blue Star Marker that sits at the Little Arlington Cemetery in Cravensdale. Last week, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco read a proclamation at Elkins City Park during a ceremony celebrating the renovations.

Applause to everyone involved in presenting the 2024 Augusta Festival and Craft Fair, which will get underway at Elkins City Park today at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m., just hours before the celebration moves to Kerens Avenue for a massive block party that will be held in the street from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Live music and workshops will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature the Dulcimer Jam, a Watercolor Workshop, Interact Children’s Museum and more. One of the highlights of the festival will be the West Virginia Open Banjo and Fiddle Contest, which will be held during two different time slots at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. The Augusta Block Party will cap things off as the sun sets, featuring live performances from the Shoats and the Annie Neeley Band. 

Applause to the tremendous community response to the destructive vandalism at the West Virginia Autism Supportive Center’s High Tunnel Greenhouse. The facility, which is part of the Center’s Summer Garden Program, is used to teach students how to grow plants and vegetables. Then at the end of the summer, everything grown is harvested and prepared for a celebration dinner. The vandalism took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 16. Two days later, most of everything that was destroyed inside the High Tunnel Greenhouse had been repaired, and work had begun on the exterior damage. The garden beds in the Greenhouse have been rebuilt, and loads of topsoil and mulch have been delivered. The West Virginia Autism Supportive Center is currently seeking donations that can be made via a link on its Facebook page. That money will be used to purchase a security system for the center and new heavy duty plastic for the exterior of the Greenhouse.

Applause to the organizers and volunteers of the 2024 Beverly Fireman’s Festival, which will culminate today at the fire department, with the annual Car Show beginning at 7 a.m.  Registration for the first annual 5K Run and the 3K Walk opens at 8 a.m. The 3K will begin at 8:45 a.m., while the 5K will begin at 9 a.m. The Beverly Ladies Auxiliary Craft Show starts at 9 a.m., and at 10 a.m. the Lumberjack Competition starts and the inflatables open again for the public. At 12 p.m., the annual Fireman’s Festival Parade will begin, with line-up taking place at 11 a.m. The awards ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Volunteers from Voices For The Silenced and community members will be walking in the parade with a banner to spread awareness about the disappearance of Charles Eric Stewart, 52.