by Chris Slater
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) — The COVID-19 pandemic has canceled many popular and noteworthy events over the last two years.
The Monongalia County Fair was one of the bigger summer happenings to cancel its plans.
“We are absolutely certain that this is the choice that had to be made,” said Amee Blake, president, Monongalia County Fair Volunteers. “To abide by the guidelines set forth by the governor and health officials, we cannot put our best efforts in giving you a fair this county deserves.”
The Morgantown Marathon went next. Event organizer Jamie Summerlin took to a Facebook video to announce that a plethora of issues, not all related to the COVID-19 pandemic, caused the cancellation.
“We hated to make the announcement, but it’s something we felt was prudent for the safety of our runners — and also doing it early enough so that our running community could find alternative races, as opposed to waiting until the last minute,” Summerlin said.
“We do apologize, as we were looking forward to getting together again this year to run the streets of Morgantown, but if I can’t keep our runners safe — which is priority number one — we don’t feel comfortable trying to pull it together last minute.”
Other events have followed suit. But there is one popular attraction in the North Central West Virginia area that cannot be canceled. That would be scenic drives organized by the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau that have been a popular attraction over the years.
“We are blessed to be in a position that we have a destination that is strategically located in North Central West Virginia at the intersection of two major interstates that are major traveling paths,” Susan Riddle, CEO and president of the bureau, said.
The North Central West Virginia area is full of natural beauty and fun activities, and looking at the area differently will help locals realize that, Riddle added.
“People go through life with blinders; we pay attention to what’s right in front of us,” Riddle said. “If I can just challenge everybody to just do one thing, which is to go through their day with their blinders off and look at their path through the eyes of a visitor. It’s amazing what you might find.”
On the CVB’s website, under the “scenic rides” section of the “guides” tab, one can find seven different scenic drive tours. The site gives a map with the start and end of the tour, with locations of unique attractions along the way.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes — two of them crashed into the World Trade Center towers, one hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed into the ground of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The Flight 93 Memorial Route goes to the memorial.
“This story and this place remind us each day what it means to be an American,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said at a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. “This memorial is a powerful reminder of what we have lost. But, it’s also a powerful reminder of the strength of the American spirit.”
The Scenic Beauty Route has stops at the Coopers Rock overlook, Canaan Valley and Dorsey’s Park Knob — home of an 18-hold disk golf course.
A designation for motorcyclists would be the Nothing But Curves Route — lots of winding roads and scenic views, including the Captain James Booth Memorial, who helped settle the area in the 1700s.
The Covered Bridges Route takes drivers through five covered bridges and it winds up at Valley Falls State Park.
History buffs can take the Veterans Memorial Route to see memorials dedicated to the Civil War, World War II, and the Korean War. There are also historic cemeteries along the way.
Most of the routes take a majority of a day, but the Out & Back Route hits a couple quick spots — including Cool Springs Park and Havatter’s Wildlife Zoo — without taking up a lot of time.
The Haunted Prison Twisties Route heads to Moundsville State Penitentiary, a prison that opened in 1867 and closed in 1995 to become a tourist attraction.
“We’re fortunate that — being a hub — we have a lot to offer, numerous hotels, dining, shopping, all kinds of outdoor activities,” Riddle said. “People can come here and then stay here and have a nice visit, then go out and do things. The scenic rides are one of those things.”