E2—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

and Event Center

OPEN HOUSESaturday, April 27th

12 Noon - 4pm

Jackson Mill Road Intersection1126 US Hwy 19 N, Jane Lew, WV 26378

250+ Seating CapacityWe will set up and cater your Event!

Stop by to

look around

and try our

famous BBQ

Allegheny Handcraft Inc.279 U.S. Hwy 19 N, Weston, WV 26452

Check us out online for more pictures of completed pieces atwww.alleghenyhandcraft.com

Custom KitchensKirk Skaggs, Owner

Simply Delicious Desserts840 West Second St. Weston, WV

(across from Stonewall Jackson Hospital)OPEN: Thursday & Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-3pm

Owners: Kathy Boyle & Marian Jarrell

Ribbon CuttingThursday, April 25th at 12 Noon

Also Customer Appreciation Week

Everyone is Invited!

304-641-0132~Special Orders Anytime~

Cookies, Cakes, Cupcakes, Pies, Turnovers,

Cheesecakesand So Much More

Like us on facebook and see a list of our goodies each week

Serenity Hope, LLCAssisted Living

Wells Avenue, Off US Rt 19, Good Hope, WV

304-745-3554

Call for More InformationOr for an Appointment to Tour our Facility

304-745-3554

WV State Licensed

Shown at Ramsey Insurance are: Bob Ramsey, Debbie Ramsey, Artie, Becky Ryan and Betsy Peeples.

Ramsey Insurance Offers Many ChoicesSpring has fi nally arrived and

things are hopping at Ramsey In-surance Services, Inc. Good things are happening at the agency and although 2012 was a challenging year considering the storms, we are looking forward to 2013.

Ramsey now has an online pres-ence. Checkout our new website at www.ramseyinsuranceservices.com and you can also fi nd us on Facebook.

One of the reasons our outlook for the future is so positive is that our markets are increasing which means we have more places to shop your business and more products to offer you. We can quote hard-to-place risks, cancellations, credit problems, hazardous, vacancies and various other situations.

Ramsey Insurance Services, Inc., is now representing The Hartford which also gives access to the AARP program for those who qualify. The Hartford has been in business over 200 years

and offers personal lines such as home and auto, commercial prod-ucts including business policies and commercial auto, along with worker’s compensation.

We still have Westfi eld, Safeco, Farmers Mutual and WV National.

These companies have long been stable markets offering many lines of business for our customers. We are also able to offer fl ood and life insurance whenever the need arises.

For your convenience, we have compiled our top 10 list of reasons

to stop by our offi ce: 10. Betsy has new eyeglasses. 9. It’s fl ood season and there is

a 30-day waiting period. 8. Don’t assume you have all the

discounts available. Things change. Stop in and ask if you think your premium is getting too high. We may be able to lower it.

7. Let us quote your home and your auto. Packaging gets discounts.

6. We will handle your claim if, unfortunately, you have one.

5. Bob has a new trophy from Westfi eld for being a 50-year agent

4. We have a company that will meet most every need.

3. Ask for a Hartford quote! 2. Becky loves seeing your

smiling faces. And the number one reason to

come by Ramsey Insurance is we’ll print you a new insurance card if you lose yours.

Weston Elected Offi cials

Mayor: Julia SpelsbergCouncilmembers: Jim Oldaker,Terry Cogar, Roger Gaines,David Blake

City of Weston Department Heads

City Manager/Finance - Michelle AllenCity Clerk - Kristin DropplemanChief of Police - Randall PoseyFire Chief - Kenny JamesPublic Works Director -John HoganCity Attorney - Tim Stranko

City of Weston Information

Address: 102 West Second StreetBusiness Phone: (304)-269-6141City Police: (304)-269-3207Fax: (304)-269-7842Offi ce Hours-M-F, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Cory Ruppert showing one of the store’s temporary mascots, part of “Chick Days” where customers can purchase baby chicks directly from the store.

Brenda Workman, store manager, celebrates hitting the 10-year anniversary mark with the motto “Whatever it takes, is exactly what it takes.”

Tractor Supply Company is celebrating its 10th year in busi-ness. Both the store and the store manager, Brenda Workman, have been at the location in Marketplace Plaza in Weston serving customers since 2003.

The store serves area farmers and do-it-yourselfer’s providing

Tractor SupplyMarks 10th Year

everyone with anything they might need.

Some of the most popular items in the store are the extensive cloth-ing selection including footwear, pet and large animal food, along with health care products, bed boxes, gun safes, welding equip-ment, generators, a large selection of mowers and lawn and garden equipment.

Tractor Supply Company also has a hardware section for quick repair jobs, painting supplies, plumbing pipes and fi ttings, tools for vehicle maintenance and mate-rials for fencing.

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—E3

Plants, Produce & MoreJesse Run Rd., Jane Lew 304-884-7419

The Garden SpotGreen House

We Now Have . . .

Spring

Summer

Fall

HOURS: Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. - 9am-9pm

5 Reasons To Create Investment Strategy

Some people buy investments here and there, now and then. Oth-ers open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), put some money in it, and then forget about it.

But this type of haphazard investment behavior can lead to haphazard results. On the other hand, you’ve got fi ve good reasons for creating and following a com-prehensive, long-term investment strategy.

• Reason No. 1: You want to enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle. For most people, build-ing resources for retirement is the most powerful reason to invest. As a key part of your investment strategy, you’ll want to consider investments that have growth potential. The proportion of your portfolio devoted to these growth investments should be based on your individual risk tolerance and time horizon. And, as you move much closer to your actual retire-ment date, you may decide to shift some, but certainly not all of your portfolio from growth-oriented ve-hicles to those investments that can provide a reliable income stream and incur less volatility.

• Reason No. 2: You need to stay ahead of infl ation. Over the past few years, we’ve experienced relatively low infl ation, but over time, even a

low infl ation rate can dramatically erode the value of your savings and investments. That’s why you may want to consider investments that provide the potential for rising income.

• Reason No. 3: You need to help manage the unexpected. You can’t predict what life will hold in store for you. To cope with unexpected costs, such as a major car repair or a new furnace, you’ll need to cre-ate an emergency fund containing six to 12 months’ worth of living expenses so that you won’t be forced to dip into your long-term investments. And to deal with other major uncertainties of life, you’ll need adequate life and disability insurance.

• Reason No. 4: You need re-sources for major life events. Your retirement may eventually require the bulk of your fi nancial resources — but it’s not the only milestone for which you’ll need to save and invest. You may need a down payment on a house, or you may someday even want to purchase a vacation home. And if you have children or grandchildren, you may want to help them pay for college.

• Reason No. 5: You’ll want to keep in mind investment-related taxes. Taxes, like infl ation, can eat

into your investment returns. You’ll need to evaluate whether you can benefi t from tax-advantaged invest-ments and retirement accounts, such as traditional or Roth IRAs.

So there you have it: fi ve good reasons to adhere to a unifi ed invest-ment strategy that’s tailored to your situation. This type of “blueprint” may not sound glamorous, and it’s certainly not a “get rich quick” formula, but it will help you stay on track toward your important fi nancial goals.

ANN HALL, DEBBIE BENNETT AND BETTY HEATER.

Construction started on the Family Medical Clinic in Jane Lew in April 2000 and Snider Construction had it ready to open by August 20, 2000. The clinic started by being open seven-days a week and was the fi rst clinic in Lewis County to provide this service to the community.

We were also the fi rst to offer both laboratory and x-ray ser-vices onsite. Dr. Frank Swisher started the endeavor to provide these services to our friends and neighbors in the community.

Over the years, some of the faces have changed as have the hours of service, but the focus

has remained the same. We have continued to provide healthcare services to our community.

Last year, Dr Frank Swisher was joined by Dr. Angela Mills. Both physicians are graduates of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and of United Hospital Center’s Family Medicine Resi-dency. Dr. Frank Swisher is also a certifi ed Medical Review Offi cer and employs staff who are certifi ed drug collectors and certifi ed breath alcohol technicians.

The clinic provides a variety of services: Family Planning (a government funded program to provide free or low cost birth

Family Medical Clinic Offers Many Services Monday-Friday

control services), Vaccine for Children (a government funded program to provide vaccines for children 18-years-old and under), DOT/CDL physicals, pre-employment physicals, vaccines for children and adults with insurance, care of individu-als with chronic illnesses and for wellness visits of all ages.

Beginning in April Dr Swish-er and Dr. Mills were joined by Deanna Leach who is a certifi ed Physician Assistant with four years experience.

Family Medical Clinic’s hours are Monday through Fri-day from 8 a.m-6 p.m.

Jane Lew Elected Offi cialsMayor: Charlie Straley; Recorder: Debbie Frazier; Council Members: David Cottrill, Tom Fox, Maxine

Olson, Gene Davis, Cynthia Swiger,Information: Jane Lew Town Hall, Main Street, Jane Lew, WV Phone: (304)-884-7910

E4—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

Imprimis Chiropractic Expands Customer Services

Dr. Paul Wilson gives 3 ½-year-old Sydney Goodwin a chiropractic adjustment after she fell and was not sleeping well. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

By SUSAN C. BENTLEYIn September of 2011 a fi re

broke out in the building where chiropractor Dr. Paul J. Wilson has his practice, Imprimis Chiropractic, on old Rt. 33 just outside of Weston. The fi re was caused by candle making equipment in another part of the building and did not cause any damage to his offi ce or facili-ties other than that the power was out for more than a week. The fi re and power outage did not stop Dr. Wilson from seeing his patients.

“The fi re was on Monday and on Tuesday we were back to work seeing patients,” said Dr. Wilson.

Dr. Wilson has been a chiroprac-tor for 10-years and Imprimis has been at this location for fi ve years mainly as a chiropractic practice. Since the fi re, the candle making operation has moved to another location allowing Dr. Wilson to expand his operations to create a gym where he holds exercise

classes two days a week.Dr. Wilson believes in a full

rounded healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise as well as chiropractic adjustments to help people move better by getting stronger, more fl exible and have better endurance with his unique approach.

The Imprimis Chiropractic Facebook page states that “We are a holistic chiropractic center that focuses on improving movement quality through chiropractic and exercise and feeding the body with whole food supplements.”

“Most people don’t have time to spend four or fi ve hours in a gym a week,” said Dr. Wilson.

His program calls for working out for a half hour three times a week working on specifi c areas that need addressed on circuit training equipment similar to those seen on the TV show The Biggest Loser.

One piece of equipment is called Kettlebells, which are balls with

handles on them with weights that range from 10 to 70-pounds. They are swung back and forth between the legs to increase strength and endurance.

Dr. Wilson said that his goal is to “help people move better by getting stronger, more fl exible and have better endurance.”

Dr. Wilson said that those who attend his exercise classes are assessed for strengths and weak-nesses and are given customized workouts at a fraction of the cost of gyms and personal trainers. The cost of the classes is based on the membership chosen but ranges from $9 to $14 a class.

“Folks that have stuck with it have gotten some really good results,” said Dr. Wilson.

The word “Imprimis” is Latin for “in the fi rst place” or “the fi rst position at the top of the list” which is where Dr. Wilson thinks people’s health should be.

“If you have health issues, put in some time to get better,” said Dr. Wilson.

Dr. Wilson uses a gentle ap-proach in his many different tech-niques doing body adjustments in his chiropractic services. Dr.

Wilson also said that it is reward-ing to see patients get better after many years of pain and infl exibility. His patients range in ages from newborn to over 80-years-old and said that it is never too early to get a healthy start.

For more information about Dr. Wilson’s services, call Imprimis at (304)-517-1355. Also, check out the Imprimis Facebook page for motivational and health tips as well as recipes for a healthy lifestyle.

Jane Lew is one of two incor-porated communities in Lewis County. The town was laid out in 1835 by Lewis Maxwell, member of Congress from Virginia, 1827-1833.

The town was not incorporated until May 27, 1907 and is named in honor of Jane Lewis, mother of the founder of the town. The Clarksburg, Weston and Glenville Railroad completed a narrow gauge railroad line from Clarksburg to Jane Lew on Aug. 9, 1879.

The book, A History of Lewis County, West Virginia, noted that Jane Lew experienced a rapid development following the Civil War, largely to the rich agricultural district around the community.

The marble works were estab-lished at Jane Lew in 1872.

In 1877 a census of the town showed two stores, two drug stores, a tannery, a saddler’s shop, a wagon shop, a pottery shop, a tailor shop, a fl ouring mill, a school and a church.

Jane Lew Incorporated in 1907Two early banks, the Peoples Bank and the Bank of Jane Lew, opened in 1903.

In 1910 Jane Lew had a popula-tion of 327 but by 1920 the town’s population had grown to 560. Today the town has 410 residents accord-ing to the 2010 Census.

The Lewis County Industrial Park is located just outside the community and the major source of employment in the area is in the oil and gas industry and education.

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—E5

Convenient hours:

8am - 6pm Monday - Friday

Well Child and Well Adult Exams

Employer Drug Screens and Breath

collectors)

Suturing and follow up wound care

Sports Physicals

Family Planning (state funded free or low cost birth control)

Immunizations (participate in Vaccine for Children program as well as providing for insurance patients)

DOT/ CDL Exams

Onsite Laboratory and X-Ray Service

Angela Mills, D.O.

Deanna Leach, PA-C

Frank Swisher, D.O.

145 Main Avenue

Weston, WV

304-269-2877

Buildings Full of NEW Furniture

Always Something New & Different

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Dollar Shop

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Programs:

Family Resource Network

is a volunteer organization with a mission to improve the lives of Lewis County families. Developing and supporting programs for

families in need. The public is invited to attend our

Monday of every month. And the Lewis County Prevention Coalition,

meeting on the second Monday of every month.

Call for more information 304-269-4000

Giovanni’s Celebrates First Year at New Place

TIM AND LORI HAMRICK

Giovanni’s has been in busi-ness for many years but in 2012 the restaurant moved from its tiny location on North Main Ave., to the building that was previously occupied by Fox’s Pizza Den.

Owners Tim and Lori Hamrick said that moving to the new location was bumpy at fi rst but they are on track now.

“We have been blessed with the support of the community,” said Lori. “It was a big change and we were not sure how it would turn out.”

Many of the people who come out for the food are those who pa-tronized the old location along with many new people as well.

“To keep the regulars and see new faces is exciting for us,” said Lori.

Giovanni’s has a full service menu with appetizers, salads, sand-wiches, hoagies, pizza, calzones and dinners.

Tim takes the reins for the steak and seafood specials, preparing them himself and said that the move has “renewed my interest in the business.”

Other family members also help out in the restaurant with soups and other specialties as well as serving and taking orders over the phone.

Giovanni’s customers can call for take-out or delivery as well as come in for a relaxing lunch or dinner in the renovated dining room. There is also a banquet room

in the back capable of seating 40 people comfortably. This room is for birthday parties, showers or other events. The Hamricks were proud to host the 5th Quarter for the Lewis County High School football team during the last football season.

“There was lots of excitement and fun from having them here,

especially with the team going to the playoffs,” said Lori.

Giovanni’s also hosts the Rotary Club meetings every Wednesday in the banquet room and sponsors the “Sportsmanship Award” to a student at Lewis County High School during the school year for any student who goes out of their way to help others.

“I don’t feel like kids that do good get recognized enough,” said Lori.

The restaurant also provides free wi-fi service to all its patrons and has a Facebook page, Giovanni’s of Weston, WV, where daily specials, giveaways and other information are posted about the eating place.

Giovanni’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information about Giovanni’s, call (304)-269-4563 or visit them at 451 US Highway

M4 Rentals LLC located just off Route 33 across from George-town Road.

M4 Rentals Has New OwnersM4 rentals is a full service con-

struction equipment rental and tire center offering a wide variety of construction equipment at competi-tive rates. M4 specializes in renting to contractors and home owners.

The new owners, Brian and Shannon McDaniels along with their knowledgeable staff are always there to serve Monday through Friday, 8 a.m., to 5 p.m., including Saturdays from 9 a.m., to 12 noon.

E6—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

595 US Route 33, Weston, WV

Proud to be in Lewis CountyCelebrating our 2nd Year!

CWV TEL FederalCredit Union304-623-6800

CWV TEL FederalCredit Union304-623-6800

131 W. Pike StreetClarksburg

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We Now

Have

Bill Pay!

A primary focus of the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce is to promote business and tourism in Lewis County. The organization also recognizes individuals for their contributions to the community. Here Chamber President Allison Clem presents businessman Ray Smith with the Chamber Member of the Year Award at the annual dinner held in the fall of 2012.

C of C Goal Is Economic GrowthThe Lewis County Chamber of

Commerce is a nonprofi t organiza-tion supported entirely by mem-bership dues and fundraisers. The Chamber provides support for local economic growth by maintaining a member-driven business organiza-tion which delivers value by con-necting and engaging businesses.

The Chamber increases busi-ness visibility by providing diverse networking and promotional op-portunities as well as representation with various levels of government. These goals are achieved through

events such as ribbon cuttings, networking luncheons and business after hours. The Chamber supports the completion of the Corridor H Project and played an instrumental role with organization of media representation with this project.

The Chamber also supports the community by providing promo-tional assistance to various orga-nizations and connecting entities with common goals. Some of the community events include Santa’s House and the Annual Christmas Parade and the Stonewall Jackson

Triathlon. Recognition of busi-nesses and individuals is extended each month via the Business of the Month and at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner.

Plans are already underway for the Sixth Annual Stonewall Jackson Triathlon which is scheduled for Aug. 17.

The event is a fundraiser and draws hundreds of people to Lewis County. This race includes a 1,000-meter swim in Stonewall Jackson Lake, a 26-mile bike ride along our county roads and a 4-mile run through the Stonewall Resort.

Last year the race committee added a Corporate Challenge de-signed to allow teams of two or three individuals representing a company or business to compete against other company-sponsored teams.

Participants may register early online at www.setupevents.com. This event is sanctioned by USA

Triathlon and the only USA Tri-athlon Qualifi er in the state of WV. Sponsorship opportunities are currently being offered for this event. All proceeds over the cost of the event benefi t the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s Board of Direc-tors Executive Committee is com-posed of President Allison Clem of Riversong Spa, Vice-President Katherine Friend of Friend 2 Friend Hearing Center, Second Vice-President Michael Hines of Thrasher Engineering, Treasurer Mike Hager of the Stonewall Resort and Past President, Kathy Sims of The Property Shop.

Other board of directors include Bryan Wilson of A.S.K Finan-cial Services, Robert Ramsey of Ramsey Insurance, Dr. Daniel Farnsworth, Carolyn Lunsford of Mountaineer Properties, Dean Hardman of WVU Jackson’s Mill, Tracey Hager of The Citizens Bank

of Weston, Ray Smith of Robin’s Nest Travel Center, George Whelan of the Robert C. Byrd Institute.

The Lewis County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank its members for their continued sup-port and participation throughout the past year.

Chamber of Commerce Ex-ecutive Director Sherry Lambert and the Board of Directors are committed to working closely with members to provide quality services and benefi ts.

An investment in the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce is truly an investment in the com-munity.

LEWIS COUNTY’S

AWARD WINNING

NEWSPAPERThe

WestonDemocrat

Call us Today!304-269-1600

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—E7

The West Virginia Museum of American Glass

Our Museum Shop has many items

on sale that include donated glassware and

duplicate pieces. We also have items

for sale by artists like Kelsey Murphy.

Stop by to see over 15,0000 beautiful pieces of glassware on display.2013 Marks 200 Years of Glass produced in West Virginia.Stop by to share this celebration. Always Free Admission.

Celebrating 200 Years of Glass In WV

The Fred W. Eberle Technical Center serves students and adults in Lewis, Upshur and Barbour Counties and is located in Buckhannon. The center offers a variety of programs designed to help provide skills to help jobseekers secure employment.

Fred Eberle Tech CenterTrains Skilled Workers

The Fred W. Eberle Techni-cal Center serves both secondary students and adults in the three county region of Lewis, Upshur and Barbour Counties and is located in Buckhannon.

In an era of high unemployment and increased demand for skilled workers, the center gives students and adults the opportunity to gain job entry skills in technical areas.

The center offers many techni-cal programs of study and offers classes in both the day and evening hours for adults. Those who suc-cessfully complete the programs of study leave the center with job-ready and marketable skills.

Adults are admitted to second-ary day programs on a space avail-able basis. Secondary programs run the normal school year, August to

June. To complete a program in one year, students must attend all day. There is the option of attending half days and completing a program in two years. Adults wishing to enroll in a secondary program should have a high school diploma, GED or be working to achieve a GED. Adult evening classes are available throughout the year.

Students and adults who wish to further their education beyond a general studies offerings in most high schools can fi nd the following programs at the center:

Automotive Technology , Build-ing Construction , This is a one year program. ACDL Training. Cisco Networking Academy, Collision Repair Technology, Computer Repair and Networking Technolo-gies, Diesel Technology, Electrical

Technology, Welding Technology - ations, Licensed Practical Nursing,

Each January a new class of students is admitted. Application for enrollment may be made from Jan. 1, to July 31, each year. All applicants are required to take a pre-entrance examination to access basic reading, math, and compre-hension skills.

Qualified applicants will be interviewed in Oct., with fi nal class selection in Nov.

All candidates selected for the program will be required to be fi ngerprinted and have FBI background checks completed as required by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Practical Nurses.

Students will receive both class-room and in-hospital instruction in a wide variety of clinical settings.

The school is affi liated with St. Joseph’s Hospital, Holbrook’s Nursing Home, Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, Sunbridge of Salem, William R. Sharpe Hospital, United Hospital Center, and Davis Regional Healthcare.

The cost of the program, in-cluding tuition, uniforms, books, graduation supplies, testing mate-rial and State Board of Examiners for Practical Nursing application is approximately $4900. Financial

aid is available through Veterans benefi ts, Pell Grants, Rehabilitation Programs, and the Workforce In-vestment Act for those who qualify.

Fred W. Eberle Technical Cen-ter offers a variety of fi nancial assistance options to qualified individuals, including the Title IV Pell Grant, Higher Education Adult Part-Time Students Grant and Workforce Investment Act funds.

Other funding sources include

vocational rehabilitation, workers compensation, veterans benefi ts, United Mine Workers of America, and assistance through the Trade Adjustment Act.

Those interested in the pro-grams the center has to offer, or having questions about fi nancial aid, should contact them by call-ing (304)-472-1259. You may also visit their Website at http://fetc.upsh.tec.wv.us/.

Want the latest news on school closings and other school-related news? For information on Lewis County school closings and special announcements, as well as those in other counties, visit the “Local School Alerts” Website and Facebook page.

The minute any school becomes closed or delayed, or is being dismissed for any

Site Offers Local School Informationreason, you can fi nd it on the Local School Alerts Site. Visit the website at http://nicholsontaran.wix.com/localschoolalerts or fi nd them on Facebook at http://facebook.com/localschoolalerts.

Taran Nicholson is the owner of the onsite business dedicated to keeping parents and the public informed.

The site also has information about school immunization re-

quirements and anti-bullying efforts in our school systems and other school-related in-formation.

For more information, you may contact Taran Nicholson at: 845 Burnsville Road, Burnsville, WV 26335, by phone at (304)-853-2974, or by email at nicholson.taran@yahoo.com.

Known for her great cooking, the 2013 Weston Democrat Citizen of the Year, Elizabeth Elder Vincent, is shown preparing food for a Jane Lew Lions Club event on behalf of the local American Legion Auxiliary.

The 2013 Weston Democrat Citizen of the Year, Elizabeth Elder Vincent, is shown visiting veteran James Montgomery at Crestview Nursing and Rehab.

Liz Vincent Democrat’s Citizen of the YearBy JOHN G. WOLFE

In nominating our 2013 Citizen of the Year choice, Maxine Olson, the civic-minded member of the Jane Lew Town Council, wrote, “It is diffi cult to describe all this woman does for her friends and neighbors. She is incredibly modest and never talks about all the people she helps on a regular daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and for as long as necessary. All this is done without any expectation on her part for any kind of reward.”

After hearing the story of Eliza-

beth “Liz” Elder Vincent, it was not diffi cult for members of the staff to select her as our Citizen of the Year.

This year’s honoree is not a native of West Virginia but was raised as a military “base brat” as her father served in the U.S. Air Force. She met her husband, the late Jerry Lee Vincent while he was serving in the Air Force. They were married in 1966 while he was stationed in Germany.

They later moved to Shinn-ston where they raised their two children, the late Dwayne Allen Vincent and Sheila Yvonne Vin-

cent. Sheila is married to Tim Virden. The Virden’s live in Lost Creek and are the parents of one son, Liz’s grandson, Elias Dwayne Paul Virden.

In 1974, Elizabeth and Jerry moved to Jane Lew, where Jerry operated Vincent’s Auto Repair on McWhorter Road. She still lives in their home place today. Elizabeth has held down several jobs, retiring from the FBI in 2010 after 13-years of service.

From the time of her retirement and even before, Elizabeth has lived a life of service. She currently is President of the American Legion Memorial Post 166 Auxiliary, Sec-retary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5131 Auxiliary, member of the Board of Directors and Sight Chairperson for the Jane Lew Lions Club. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Lost Creek Public Library, which was recently recognized the best small library in the United States.

Elizabeth is famous for her cooking and especially her cakes. With the help of just a few of her friends, she is the head of all Ameri-can Legion Auxiliary fundraising. Olson said, “If there is a VFW Auxiliary fundraiser, she is there, from start to fi nish, offering all the help needed to make the event a success.”

If there is a veteran’s cause in need of support Elizabeth is there. Mountaineer Military Museum co-owner Barbara McVaney said of Elizabeth, “Mere words cannot express the appreciation and love that the McVaney’s feel for this wonderful lady! Ron McVaney and Liz have been acquainted for about 20-years, since they worked together at the Clarksburg Housing Authority.

Liz has been acquainted with the McVaney’s Museum collection, when she fi rst visited the displays that were once housed in a few small

rooms in the historic Weston State Hospital when her son-in-law, Tim Virden, was a part of the security crew on site.”

McVaney continued, “Several years ago, Liz came to the Museum to offer the assistance of her ‘crew,’ daughter, Sheila Virden and friend, Maxine Olson, along with the ladies of the American Legion Post 166 Auxiliary and VFW Post of Jane Lew, to help with the annual Vet-Together.”

McVaney said that the ladies made desserts and purchased soft drinks, then assisted with serving the folks who visited the event. “Her heart-felt passion for want-ing to help us has led to a lasting friendship. Last year, in addition to desserts and drinks, Liz and her ladies tended the food tent and served as unoffi cial hostesses to the nearly 200 visitors on the Museum grounds,” said McVaney.

“This year, when the Museum was told that a work crew from Home Depot was coming to install dry-wall to the new building, all the McVaney’s had to do was make the call, and Liz and ‘the crew’ was on hand for the two days that the Home Depot crew was on-site. This February, when we had a "paint party” for the new addition, the ladies were ‘at the ready’ by sup-plying food for the volunteers!”

McVaney said, “Liz has a heart as big as Lewis County itself, and it shows in everything that she does. She gives each and every task her 120 percent, always with a huge smile, a loving hug and all the friendly banter that one can handle!”

McVaney referred to Liz as Museum’s “Go-to gal pal" and said, “I can’t imagine our ‘world’ with-out her! Ron and Barb McVaney congratulate Ms. Liz Vincent on this incredible and most deserving honor.”

More than the importance of

the positions she holds in civic organizations is her selfl ess dedi-cation and service to friends and neighbors. Olson said, “She is al-ways ready to help others in need.”

Through the years she has vis-ited her many friends and acquain-tances while they were ill. If they are hospitalized, she will sit with them for hours, offering help and support, spiritual and physical. If they are homebound, she is ready to help by visiting and bringing with her a home-cooked meal and offering to help clean house or run errands, whatever the patient or the

family needs.On many occasions she has

taken neighbors as far away as Morgantown so they can get needed medical attention. She has sat with the dying to offer them and their families comfort.

In nominating Vincent, Olson added, “She is a true neighbor, friend and Christian. So many people in the area depend on her.”

The Weston Democrat con-gratulates Elizabeth “Liz” Elder Vincent for being selected as our 2013 Citizen of the Year.

Jill Stewart, The Pink Moon, has taken an aging main street building located on 125 Main Avenue in Weston and created a coffeehouse that people will simply not stop talking about.

Ray Smith, Business Person of the year for 2012, said “I am not sure when she started renovating the old Kane Hardware store, but she has taken an empty Main Street area and transformed it into a thriv-ing business. She offers a different and unique menu and drink choices than other places in Lewis County. Also, she has lots of activities and entertainment that benefi ts local vendors and entertainers.

She has opened up her own doors for business and organizational meetings. she has a willingness to also work with others, even what you might call her competition to organize events and help the main street area prosper.

“She has a bright outlook and a positive attitude that is contagious and shows everyone she meets how great Lewis County is. She has worked hard this last year not only to improve her business, but to be open to improve all of Lewis County.”

The Pink Moon is host to live music every friday night, along with plenty of eclectic events. The atmosphere of the Pink Moon is just as vibrant as the menu that offers some mouth watering and ever-changing specials. From a recent Facebook post by the cof-feehouse “ How about a French Onion Grilled Cheese?? Swiss and Gruyere Cheeses topped with wine braised caramelized onions piled on a brioche bread (gluten free bread also available). Paired with our

made-from-scratch Southwestern Bean Chowder.”

“Jill has worked to achieve a vibrant business in downtown Weston.” States Sherry Lambert,

Jill Stewart Is Democrat’sBusiness Person of 2013

Weston Democrat Business Person of the Year 2013 Jill Stewart at the Chamber of Commerce Accepting “Taste of the Town Award” from the Mountain Lakes CVB - for The Pink Moon.

Weston Democrat Business Person of the Year 2013 Jill Stewart speaking about The Pink Moon at the Chamber of Commerce Ambas-sador training last month.

Chamber of Commerce, “She has provided citizens of Lewis County and visitors a very unique dining atmosphere. The Pink Moon is truly a breath of fresh air for the

downtown area.” In nominating Jill for business

person of the year, Bob Golden said, “With the opening of The Pink Moon Jill has brought life back to

Jill Stewart's restaruant The Pink Moon Coffeehouse is located at 125 Main Avenue in downtown Weston. It is in the old Kane's Hardware store. It offers specialty coffee, homemade food, live music on selected evenings and a great atmosphere for families, friends and groups to meet.

F2—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

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The Old Harness Shop Museum located on Main Street in Jane Lew houses local historical memorabilia. The museum is open on special occasions.

The Old Harness ShopMcCall’s Cash-N-Pawn has

been in business for over 30-years in Lewis County. The business was started in the 1980s by Ernest L. McCall Sr., and operated by his wife, Marcia.

McCall’s was started in a small building behind McCall’s Marine in what was at the time the McCall’s residence. Diligently, Mr. McCall opened the doors on the small shop with just a few items.

The business soon grew enough, with the help of all of his children working at one time or another, to move to the fi rst fl oor of the same building which was formerly used by the Tiki Club.

Sadly in October of 1997, the residence and business were lost in a fi re from the residential fi replace. The building was not insured and not rebuilt until 2008 and the pawn business was moved to the boat garage along with the marine shop.

After Mr. McCall died in 2008, Marcia and daughter, Tanya, joined forces to completely tear down the remnants from the fi re and begin again. Jason Allen of Handyman

Construction, the brother-in-law of Marcia’s oldest daughter, Kim-berly, was asked to build the new building.

So now, what was once a one person shop with a handful of customers has blossomed to fi ve workers operating the business and more than 2,100 customers.

The pawn shop takes pride in helping others with small, short loans and leaves the big loans to the banks. Tanya is now the owner as her mother, Marcia, died in Febru-ary of 2012.

McCall’s Cash-N-Pawn has new items as well as used, lots of games and systems, electronics, hunting supplies, gifts, musical strings, gifts for horse lovers, hunting and biking enthusiasts. An ATM and Bill Payment center is also inside.

In helping with economic de-velopment, Tanya has joined forces with the local community to help rid drug manufacturing in the area. Local law enforcement and the local paper provide information about those starting or running illegal drugs and those people are

McCall’s Cash-N-Pawn Has Many New Itemsbanned from the shop and the in-formation is noted in the customers record. Tanya’s thought was to not let her money help destroy another person’s life or her community.

"Drugs destroy families and the lives of those whom we love," said Tanya.

She hopes the decision she consciously made helps the com-munity, but is aware that there are

consequences and a loss of revenue with her decision. Tanya thanks God for the blessings she has and the community she needs to help protect.

McCall’s Cash-N-Pawn is located on Rt. 19 North between Weston and Jane Lew. For informa-tion call, (304)-269-3712.

WV Future Bright With Natural Gas

By Dennis Xander, President/CEO, Dennex Petroleum; Presi-dent, IOGA WV.

While other sectors of the U.S. economy remain stagnant, the natural gas industry’s growth has been phenomenal. We are creat-ing good paying jobs, providing healthy tax revenues and reducing both consumer bills and manufac-turing costs.

The direct benefi ts are obvi-ous. More people fi nding jobs, wages and benefi ts increasing and

residential gas rates have fallen 45 percent in the last 3-years. But the expansion of the oil and gas industry is just the preface to a more compelling story. Natural gas is a composite of methane, ethane, butane, propane and other gases. Ethane gas, in particular, has valuable alternative uses.

The list of products that start out as ethane is amazing. Tires, clothing, carpet, paint, sealants, plastics, detergents, adhesives, for starters. Based on sundry published reports, the supply of ethane is projected to increase 50 percent by 2016, affording a signifi cant competitive advantage to domestic manufacturers.

West Virginia can host an ethane cracker, or a series of crackers. The fi nancial viability is proven. The cracker produces intermedi-ate products, like ethelyne. There are additional opportunities to add value to these intermediate products by manufacturing fi nished consumer goods.

We have been blessed with amazing resources in the shales underlying the Mountain State. The opportunity to utilize those resources is the icing on the cake. But make no mistake: It all starts with drilling horizontal shale wells.

Previous Winners Business Person of TheYear

2006 - Jerry Stout2007 - Valjean Edinger2008 - Charlotte Childers2009 - Bob Piercy

2010 - Dinah Mills2011 - Cathy Hyson2012 - Ray Smith

Subscribe toThe Weston DemocratFor all the local news,

sports, advertising

Call 304-269-1600We accept Master Card & Visa

Our address is Post Offi ce Box 968or 306 Manin Ave.Weston, WV 26452

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—F3

Pat Boyle, Licensee in ChargeDon U. Wills, Licensed Funeral Director

“We invite you to compare our facility, prices, and services”

Pat Boyle Funeral Home and Cremation Service

I personally guarantee you that at our funeral home everyone will be able to afford a tribute to your loved one. Pat Boyle

Don U. Wills and Patrick D. Boyle

Wilson’s Carpet CenterCelebrates 50th Birthday

Wilson’s Carpet Center will be celebrating their Golden Anniversary this year. Shown left to right are: Larry Wilson, Tracey Bleigh with Laynee, and Eugene Wilson.

Wilson’s Rug and Upholstery Cleaners and Carpet Center on West Second Street in Weston is a family-owned business started in 1963 by brothers Eugene and Kenny Wilson. In June, Wilson’s will mark their 50th anniversary as one of Lewis County’s oldest businesses.

Since 1963, many members of the Wilson family have participated in the business. Eugene’s wife, Mary Helen, worked in the store for 25-years. Genevive Wilson, Eu-gene and Kenny’s mother worked in the store for 10-years.

Currently, Larry Wilson, Eu-gene’s son operates the business and this year marks the 33rd year of his career. “Our vision is to provide our customers and friends with sales and service excellence,” he said.

The family organization was built on trust, honesty, integrity and Wilson’s wants people to know they have a different way of doing business. “Let us show you why we are different,” said Larry.

The store offers everything there is to offer, installing fl ooring, from vinyl to hardwoods to tile. If you have fl ooring needs, Wilson’s has it.

Wilson’s installs any and all fl ooring through a contractor with more than 30-years of experience. They also do custom binding on carpet remnants or rugs.

To make it easier to purchase fl ooring for the home or business, Wilson’s offers in house fi nancing with 12 months same as cash.

The company also cleans up-holstery, carpets and rugs in the customers’ home or business. They specialize in cleaning restaurant carpets as well as home carpeting.

For upholstery cleaning, the

customer can either bring the item in to the store or Wilson’s will come to the customer.

Wilson’s offers a custom kitchen and bath service for customer fl oor-ing and tile needs.

Wilson’s serves 10 counties in West Virginia and encourages people to check out their store before shopping elsewhere.

“Shop locally, it’s good for the community,” said Larry.

Wilson’s Carpet Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, call Wil-son’s at (304)-269-1233.

2006 - Sandy King2007 - Cathie Metz2008 - Bill Cayton2009 - Mida Peterson

Previous WinnersCitizen of The Year

2010 - Dr. Robert Snuffer2011 - Melvin Langford2012 - Leanna Haynes

Smoke Camp Crafts is located at 1289 Smoke Camp Road, Weston. Smoke Camp Crafts has been in business since 1977. Owned by Dot Montgillion, the business features homemade jams, jellies, herbal teas, culinary herbs and blends as well as medicinal herbs.

Montgillion says that the most unique feature of her business is the old-fashioned jams and jellies she makes and her business is the home of “Road Kill Jam.”

Montgillion is assisted by her husband, Bob, in the business that has as its goal the preservation of the Appalachian way of life and traditions. “We emphasize Appa-lachian herbs and products that our ancestors made and used.”

Dot Montgillion is a master gar-

Smoke Camp Crafts SellsJellies, Jam, Teas, Herbs

dener, who grows several varieties of heirloom beans and tomatoes. She is the author of “Modern Uses of Traditional Herbs.” Dot and Bob participate in local tailgate markets in season.

Smoke Camp Craft products are available at many West Virginia shops, including Tamarack, Pipe-stem, Mountain Made and locally at Allegheny Handcraft and Plant the Seed.

For more information on the business and her products, con-tact Dot at (304)-269-6416, or by email at smokecamp@gmail.com. Montgillion says she checks her email regularly and prefers people contact her this way, as often she is out on the property taking care of business.

Lewis County Statistics

County Population: 16,379 (29% urban, 71% rural) Persons Under Age 5 Years: 5.7%; Persons Under 18 Years; 20.4%; Persons 65 and Older: 18.3%

Land Area: 382 square milesWater Area: 7.6 square milesPopulation Density: 43 people

per square mileIndustries Providing Employ-

ment: Educational, health and so-cial services - 22.9%; Retail Trade - 14.3%; Manufacturing - 11.2%

Most Common Industries: Construction - 12%; Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction - 8%; Public Administration - 6%; Educational Service - 6%; Nonmetallic Mineral Products - 5%; Utilities - 5%; Ac-commodation and Food Service - 5%

Type of Workers: Private wage or salary - 68%; Government - 23%; Self-Employed - 8 %;

F4—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

There’s much to do in the world outside your door...Lambert’s, TALA, The Glass Museum, Thyme Bistro,

Hacker’s Creek, The Mill, Stonewall State Park,2nd and Center, and More, More, More!

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Explore Your Own Backyard

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Museum Shares Diverse History of Glass Industry

At The West Virginia Museum of American Glass they hope to share the diverse and rich heritage of glass as a product and historical object as well as telling of the lives of glass workers, their families, communities, tools and the ma-chines they used in glass houses.

The Weston Democrat spoke with Tom Felt just to see what new acquisitions and plans the museum has for the future.

We just had the 200th anni-versary of glassmaking in West Virginia. The fi rst glass was made in Wellsburg in 1813.

We are having a dedication of a glassblower for the entrance of the

museum. I haven’t seen the design yet but it will be made of old glass-blower pipes, the sculpture will be dedicated on Oct. 17.

The doors from St. Pat’s Catho-lic Church, which was recently renovated were donated to the museum. The doors themselves are from the 1984.

We intend to build a wall that will be lit from the back to be dis-played at the Museum of American Glass.

The story of the doors, is that they represent the saints from each of the churches that were in Lewis County in 1984.

The Glass Museum will be hold-

ing several events throughout the rest of the year, featuring a wide range of activities. On May 31, they will be hosting an all West Virginia Glass Benefi t Auction at 7 p.m. June 16, will be the annual bottle and jar show with some items also available for purchase. June 20, is the 200th birthday celebration which the museum will have free cake and glass.

From June 24 - 28, the museum has a glass college, where you can learn the history of glass.

The museum is open fi ve days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thurs-day, Friday and Saturday from 12-4 p.m., and admission is free. Beautiful glass can be seen all over the museum.

Sharon Pickens and Tom Felt are a wealth of knowledge and have a huge passion for glass.

Lewis Statistics

Mean Travel Time to Work: 25.4 Minutes

County Owner-Occupied Homes: 5,068

Renter-Occupied Homes: 1,878

Races in Lewis County: White/non-Hispanic - 97.4%; Tow or More Races - 1 %

Black/non-Hispanic: - .07%Median Resident Age: 40Male Population: 8,206

(48.5%)Female Population: 8,713

(51.5%)Average Household Size: 2.4

peopleEstimated Median Household

Income: $34,119Percent of Residents Living in

Poverty: 21.8%Current College Students: 459People 25 Years or Older with

High School Degree or Higher: 81.5%

People 25 Years or Older with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 13.1%

Number of Veterans: 1,457Most Common First Ances-

tries: United States - 38%; German - 18%; English - 12%; Irish - 9 %; Italian - 2%; Scottish - 2%

Reach out to New Customers with The Weston Democrat

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—F5

Vet-Together at

MOUNTAINEER MILITARY MUSEUM

345 Center Ave., Weston, WVFor More Information Call 304-472-3943

Ron and Barb McVaney, owners

Saturday, May 25thBeginning at 12 Noon

A Special Patriotic Presentation on the Declaration of Independence

by Dr. Michael T. George, CEO of Patriot History

Visitors will be able to see various military vehicles, and tour the numerous displays in the museum.

Last year’s event was attended by over 300 veterans,

engagement from the D-Day landing of World War II to Afganistan and everything in between.

The center is used for meetings by several groups.

Jane Lew Updates Community CenterBy WILLIAM WHITEThe Jane Lew Community

Center is in the process of a major update. Over the past 5-years the Board of Directors of the Jackson Memorial Community Associa-tion, the owner of the Community Center, has been able to procure moneys from the West Virginia State Legislature, the Lewis County Commission, the Town of Jane Lew, and from several churches, local businesses and private in-dividuals. Some of the Jane Lew Lions Club members have donated over $11,000 worth of labor to help with the upgrades as well.

Projects completed include: two new air conditioners and furnaces, new walls in the meeting room section, new fl oor in the back part of the meeting room section, a new emergency exit and back porch, upgrades to the storage room, an upgraded tankless hot water heater, improved fi re exits in the dining area and new tables and chairs in the meeting room area.

Planned areas for future expan-sion include: upgraded rest rooms, upgrades to the kitchen, a kitchen-ette in the meeting room side to fa-cilitate the serving of refreshments and a natural gas powered generator

to enable the use of the facility as an emergency center.

The community center works closely with the Lewis County Senior Center and with their sup-port, provides lunch to members of the community 5-days a week. Persons over the age of 59 eat for $2.50 and those under the age of 60 can eat for $5. Take-outs are available. The community center is a United Way recipient.

The center is used for meetings by several groups including the Boy Scouts, 4-H, AA, Purple Heart Veterans and other organizations. It is also available for receptions,

parties, reunions and family gather-ings. Any business that wishes to use the facility for training meet-ings and staff get-to-gethers will be welcomed.

Those who wish to rent the facil-ity should contact board member Ramona Ramsburg at (304)-884-7432.

Other board members include: Bill White, president; Gene Davis, vice-president; Misty Corley, sec-retary; Ruth Straley, treasurer; and Beth White, Will White and Judy West, who are all members of the board of directors.

Lewis County StatisticsNumber of Foreign Born Residents: 90Most Common Places of Birth for Foreign-Born Residents: Philip-

pines - 26%; Jordan - 19%; Germany - 12%; Sweden - 8%; Italy - 8%; Guatemala - 7%; United Kingdom - 6%

Percent of Population Affi liated with Religious Congregation: 36.3%

Religious Affi liation in Order of Adherents:United Methodist - 2,433; Catholic - 1,513; American Baptist - 1,158; Southern Baptist - 296;

Episcopal - 206; Church of God - 167; Assemblies of God - 152; Church of Christ - 77; Church of Nazarine - 65; Other - 70.

F6—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

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Director Chris Richards (left) and Deputy Director Kim Geer of the Lewis County Convention Bureau welcome tourists to Lewis County. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

Lewis County is growing in leaps and bounds and the Lewis County Convention Bureau is working hard to keep up with the many people who are traveling through the county.

Chris Richards is the executive director of the CVB and Kim Geer is the deputy director and they say that more and more people are com-ing to Lewis County with tourism doubling from 2000 to 2010. From 2009 to 2011, overnight stays were

CVB Is Promoting Tourismup 3.4 percent.

“In this economy that is amaz-ing,” said Richards.

“We do direct and indirect promoting of the county,” said Chris. “Anything that would bring people to the county and preferably stay here.”

“I think everyone is underes-timating what is going to happen when Corridor H is fi nished,” said Richards. “3-4 hours from D.C. makes Lewis County the perfect

destination.”The Lewis County Convention

Bureau has a website, www.stone-wallcountry.com that has a wealth of information about attractions, places to stay and eat and a calendar of events.

Anyone who has an event they would like to add to the calendar, please allow 6 weeks advance notice.For more information about tourism in Lewis County call (304)-269-7328.

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—F7

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Visitors attending the Vet-To-gether at the Mountaineer Military Museum on May 25, will get a sneak peek at the new 2,300 square foot addition to the facility.

Military Museum Has New Building, Displays, JeepThe Mountaineer Military

Museum at 345 Center Avenue, in Weston, has been undergoing major construction of additional displays in their newly acquired 2,300 square foot expansion. Own-ers Ron and Barbara McVaney hope to have the new addition open and ready for visitors by the end of May.

The museum’s construction of the additional display area has been done by volunteers from various communities in the North Central West Virginia. The majority of those volunteers are veterans of various eras. Of the new addition, Barbara McVaney said, “Our key display is going to be for our Vietnam section which is going to have a refl ection room. It’s a place for healing.”

In September of last year, Home Depot Corporation, donated the drywall and materials to begin the work on the 2,300 square foot expansion. Home Depot employ-ees (Bridgeport and Parkersburg stores) volunteered three days to hang the drywall.

In February, local veterans and community members gathered at the museum for a “painting party” at the new addition to the museum.

Ron McVaney said he was, “ex-tremely pleased and overwhelmed by the efforts of the community and local veterans to make the

‘Promise’ that I made to my fallen friends a reality.”

Recently, Fairmont Vietnam War Veteran Tim Miller donated an M151 or MUTT, used for transpor-tation in the Vietnam confl ict that will be a feature in the new addition.

Miller donated the vehicle in memory of his father and mother, who were both World War II veterans to the Hogs and Heroes Foundation. They in turn donated the vehicle to the museum.

Miller was one of at least 16 members of the Patriot Guard and Hogs and Heroes Chapter 2 mem-bers who gave the jeep a motorcycle escort from Fairmont to Weston earlier this month.

Miller purchased the vehicle on eBay and said that it, “looked as if it came right from the battlefi eld.”

Of the donation, Ron McVaney said “It means a lot to me. It’s a big piece of history and it is something I was looking for to add to the museum.”

The idea of a military museum had it’s roots during the era of the Vietnam War. Childhood friends were drafted into their nation’s service and only one made it home. A graveside promise was made that, “I’ll never let anyone forget you guys.” Ron McVaney vowed to keep his promise and the Moun-taineer Military Museum stands as

a testament to his efforts to live up to his word.

The museum will hold a “Vet-together” on Saturday, May 25, beginning at noon. A special presentation on the Declaration of Independence will be delivered by Dr. Michael T. George, CEO of Patriot History. Last year, over 300 veterans attended the event, representing every major war, conflict, engagement from the D-Day landing of World War II to Afghanistan, and all wars and confl icts in between.

Visitors at the Vet-together will be able to see various military vehicles and tour the numerous displays in the museum, including those in the new additions. “We may not be completely fi nished with this by the Vet-together,” said Ron McVaney, “But we are planning to let visitors that day see what we have completed.”

Generally, the museum is open for the summer touring season be-ginning on Memorial Day Weekend through Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The McVaney’s thank the community for their continued sup-port for the Mountaineer Military Museum. To contact the museum you may visit their Facebook page

Children and adults alike played soccer in the new Soccer Barn at Jackson’s Mill this past winter. (Photo courtesy of The Soccer Barn)

J.R. Dodson had a vision for local children to be able to play soccer during the cold winter months so he created the Friends of Youth Soccer. After months of working hard with others, J.R., was able to acquire an indoor space at Jackson’s Mill where soccer play-ers of all ages played last winter. The indoor soccer arena is located on the airstrip at Jackson’s Mill and has two soccer playing fi elds.

“I wanted somewhere for our kids to play in the winter,” said J.R. “It has been a good thing.”

Members of the Friends of Youth Soccer raised between $26,000 to $28,000 for improvements to the building that is called, The Soccer Barn. The facility includes artifi cial turf for the 247 foot long and 83 foot wide playing area, scoring

Soccer Field Offers Winter Playcages, rink walls, a net to protect the ceiling lights, soccer balls and other necessities to play soccer.

“Our goal is to give back to the soccer community,” said J.R. “It is a great thing for the community.”

The facility also has a batting cage for baseball teams to use until the weather breaks.

“I am very happy that baseball has been able to use it,” said J.R.

Since opening, The Soccer Barn has been used for soccer teams to play during November, December and January.

J.R. said that there were 10 adult teams and also teams for kids of all ages with 246 people playing soccer. J.R. played on one of the adult teams and his three children also played on teams based on their age group.

In February, the building was used for fl ag football play and then baseball practice started in March.

“I look for it to be better this year,” said J.R.

The organization charges $40 an hour to use the facility to cover the costs of using the building, insur-ance and other expenses.

The Friends of Youth Soccer organization has a six member board of directors that includes J.R., Anita White, John Chapman, Tammy Lattea, Bill Tucker and David Smith.

Anyone interested in soccer or using the facility can see photos and other information about the organization at its Facebook page, The Soccer Barn, and can call J.R. at (304)-269-5330.

By SUSAN C. BENTLEY

The doctor’s offi ce of Williams Family Practice moved into Garton Plaza last summer and business is booming.

“We are growing and thriving,” said Dr. Jeremy Williams.

Dr. Williams spent 3-years in the Lively Family Practice in Jane Lew before deciding to move to his own digs in Weston taking over Dr. Julie Wentz’ practice. The practice is accepting new patients of all ages

Dr. Williams Is Accepting Patients at Garton Plaza

for all medical issues.“It has been a good move,” said

Dr. Williams. “I am enjoying it.”He said that one of the most dif-

fi cult parts of his practice is helping those with chronic health issues.

“Seeing patients with chronic pain is diffi cult because the patient is focused on the pain and not how to get better,” said Dr. Williams. “Getting them past the pain process is hard.”

Dr. Williams was born and raised in Lewis County, married his high

school sweetheart and earned his medical degree at West Virginia University.

He said that he always intended on coming back to where he was from to help people in the com-munity where he grew up.

Dr. Williams recently added to his practice an American Nursing board certifi ed nurse practitioner, Junemarie Williams, who is no relation to the doctor. Junemarie has been a nurse since 1998 and a

Beauticians pictured (left to right) are Stormi Reed, Jennifer Boggs, Barbara Ireland and Jenna Maxwell.

By SUSAN C. BENTLEY

“We have been blessed to be accepted as well as supported by the community,” said Pat Boyle of his new Pat Boyle Funeral Home in Jane Lew that opened last fall.

Pat said that the success of the business so far has, “far exceeded our expectations.”

Pat had previously owned Boyle’s Funeral Home in Weston for many years and then sold it in 2006. He realized later that he really missed serving the community in their time of need saying that it was the most gratifying time of his life.

“It is not a job, it is who I am,” said Pat.

Pat Boyle Funeral Home is a 9,700 square foot facility that features two chapels, a spacious family reception room, a sound-proof children’s play room and a

full showroom of caskets, burial vaults and cremation urns.

Pat and his fi ancé, Dottie Walden put in a lot of time and effort de-signing, planning, building and

decorating the new building and the result is an elegant accommodation to lay loved ones to rest. Pat said that he wanted to create an atmo-

New Pat Boyle Funeral Home Is Well Received

Nurse Practitioner Junemarie Williams and Dr. Jeremy Williams welcome new patients to the Williams Family Practice in Garton Plaza. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

Continued on G3

Continued on G4

Continued on G4

DON WILLS, PATRIC BOYLE

Simply Delicious Has Great Pastry

Marion Jarrell (left) and Kathy Boyle are co-owners of Simply Delicious Desserts, located on West Second Street in Weston near the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital. (Photo by John G. Wolfe)

There’s no need to drive very far to fi nd scrumptious desserts to sat-isfy the “sweet tooth,” or please the family or guests after dinner. Sim-ply Delicious Desserts in Weston offers customers, “Homemade goodness with a special touch,” according to owners Marian Jarrell

a variety of goodies with new tastes and prepare the desserts for sale. “Our pastries are all homemade, with 98% from scratch,” said Jar-rell. “Every week we change things and offer new, creative pastries. And every week we meet new

and Kathy Boyle. The pastry shop is located at 840

West Second Street, and is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On the other days, Jarrell and Boyle experiment with new recipes to offer their customers

Transformation Salon IsNail, Hair, Tanning Shop

Transformations is a new salon that opened in Garton Plaza in the space that was previously occupied by Bill’s Beauty Salon. The salon is a full service hair, nail and tan-ning shop.

Owner Brandi Losh opened the salon in October of 2012 and busi-ness has been steadily growing.

“We are super busy,” said Brandi. “We are always looking for talented stylists.”

Transformations currently has three hairstylists, Manager Barbara Ireland, Stormi Reed and Jennifer Boggs. The “hair artists” as Brandi

calls them, provide all hair services such as cuts, perms, color and highlights.

Jenna Maxwell is the nail tech-nician who does pedicures as well as all kinds of nails such as gel nails, acrylics and manicures that start at $25.

Tranformations has a full line of hair products such as Paul Mitchell, Matrix, Awapuhi and Big Sexy Hair as well as a good selection of tan-ning lotions by Australian Gold.

The salon also carries the ISOS hair color line, Morrocan Oil hair

treatments and also offers tanning services and facial waxing.

Hair cuts start at $12 for men and $18 for women.

Transformations also has tan-ning services with unlimited and single tanning sessions as well as packages.

For more information about Transformations or to schedule a hair, nail or tanning appointment call, (304)-269-4550. Also, check out Transformations Facebook page.

G2—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

Foster FeedIt doesn’t stop there,

Hardware, plumbing, would you believe!Lawn & Garden and Pet Supplies

Justin Boots and Muck Boots too!All some Hard-to-Find items stuffed inside

And great customer friendly service to make it worth the drive.

FOSTER FEED

We Carry More Products Than You Can Imagine!

GREAT Bible Based Christian Education

GREAT Teachers

GREAT Scores on Academic Tests

GREAT Athletics

GREAT Parent Involvement

The Pink Moon Coffeehouse Opens in August 2012The Pink Moon Coffeehouse

is located at 125 Main Avenue in downtown Weston. It is one of the area’s newest businesses, having opened on Aug. 17, 2012 and is owned and managed by Jill Stewart.

The Pink Moon offers specialty coffee, homemade food, live music on selected evenings and a great atmosphere for families, friends and groups to meet.

Described as an “eclectic” little coffeehouse, the business prides itself in their dedication to home-town spirit and supporting as well as promoting local business people.

The coffee offered is from a local roaster and they utilize food from local farms whenever possible. The food is sandwiches and salads, tra-ditional with a Mediterranean fl air, all house made. Vegetarian options are available as well as gluten free options. The Pink Moon features

delicious entrees on evenings when entertainment is provided, which is usually on Friday and Saturdays. A full bar is also available.

Thursday nights they host a “ladies night out” that promotes women in business by allowing businesswomen to feature their wares, at no cost for setup, from Miche Bags to Pampered Chef to handmade jewelry and pot-tery. There are giveaways, drink specials, free appetizer buffet and more.

Reservations are not required at The Pink Moon, but may be made and will be honored for any day/time of the week. The Pink Moon also offers take-out service.

Doors open at 10 a.m., Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m., on Sat-urday. The lunch times starts at 11 a.m., on Tuesday and Wednesday

The Pink Moon Coffeehouse in downtown Weston attracts large crowds for lunch, dinner, music venues and special occasions like their weekly "Ladies Night" that is shown in this photo.

and closes at 4 p.m. On Thursday lunch begins at

11 a.m., and the kitchen serves until 9 p.m.

On Friday, the Pink Moon is open from 10 a.m., to 12 midnight, and on Saturdays from 11 a.m., to 12 midnight. The kitchen is open 11 a.m., to 9 p.m., on weekends.

“We feel very blessed here at The Pink Moon. The townspeople of Weston and surrounding com-munities have been very good to us and we are so grateful for their enthusiasm and support,” said owner, Jill Stewart, with a big smile on her face.

“We are having such a great time, it’s nice to see a community place for friends and families to gather and enjoy live entertain-ment and great food, as well as each other.”

Pictured (left to right) are: Mike Canter, Justin Campbell, Jim Harper, Kim Malson, Tim Hitt, Todd Callihan, Ink Greenway, Russ Edwards and Tim Duncan.

It began in 1946 when Red Hitt began Hitt’s Garage to provide a spare parts service in Weston.

Sixty six years later and J.E. Hitt Garage is still operating and providing customers with worth-while car services.

“For a small business in a small community, it’s a pretty good feat to last that long,” said Tim Hitt, current owner of J.E. Hitt Garage. The business has been passed down from James ‘Red’ Hitt to Jim Hitt (his son) and now Tim Hitt.

Through three generations Hitt’s Garage has managed to remain a fi xture in local economy. Tim Hitt attributed the business’ customer base that has really come to rely on the garage’s service as a reason for their ability to remain open for more than 60-years.

“Our reputation helps keep a business like ours in operation for that amount of time,” Hitt said. “We’re lucky I guess.”

Currently, J.E. Hitt Garage of-fers a variety of services for their clients but it originally started out as a place to buy spare parts, Hitt said.

When “Red” Hitt opened the business in 1946 he was more interested in buying cars and strip-ping them for parts and metal scrap, Tim Hitt said. After his grandfather passed the business to his father,

Jim Hitt, that’s when the garage began offering a towing service, Hitt said.

“My dad did some mechanical work and started the body shop,” Tim Hitt said. The business has evolved many ways over the years from a spare parts and scrap busi-ness to a full out body shop, it has been all about adapting to customer needs and the changing market.

Currently, the garage now provides anything from used auto parts, a body shop, towing service, mechanical work, and inspection services, Hitt said.

“We’re trying to improve every-thing to keep up with the times,” Hitt said. “We try to keep up to date with latest technology.”

Now the body shop has become the biggest part of the business, Hitt said. Hitt’s business now has two new paint booths to offer custom-ers, one a bake booth and the other a cross draft booth, Hitt said.

All things considered, Hitt be-lieves “a business is only as good as its employees and they have a great team!”

That team includes:Tim Duncan - Body Technician,

trained at the Fred Eberle Technical Center, has 12-years of experience and is Deltron certifi ed.

Mike Canter - Body Technician,

Hitts Garage Has Good Servicetrained at the United Technical Center, has 15-years of experience and is ASE certifi ed.

Todd Callihan - Body Techni-cian, Started TC’s Auto Repair Shop in Good Hope, 20-years experience.

Russ Edwards - Body Shop Manager, PPG Body Shop Man-agement Series - Estimate Plus certifi ed, 21-years experience.

Jim Harper - Mechanic Shop, 20 years experience.

Ink Greenway - Mechanic.Justin Campbell - Body Shop/

Detailer.Kim Hitt Malson - Offi ce Man-

ager and Payroll Clerk, 7-years experience.

Tim Hitt - Owner/Operator since 1992.

Next month will mark 2-years since Jim Hitt’s passing. He has been missed by many friends and customers, who enjoy telling sto-ries, while waiting on their vehicle. He touched so many in our small community with his smile, kind words and willingness to help anyone in need. Even though he is missed every day, his presence is still felt all aroung the business.

For more information, call the garage at (304)-269-2123 or visit their Deanville location for more help with your vehicle.

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—G3

From Simple to Extravagant, Hardman Paletti Funeral Home can put together a fitting farewell for your loved one.

Hardman-Paletti Funeral Home730 N. Main Avenue • Weston, West Virginia 26452 • (304) 269-5005

C. David HardmanLicensee In Charge

Anthony PalettiFuneral Director

John M. PalettiOwner

- Since 2005 -

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McFly Outdoors' owner Michael J. McWhorter (left) is shown with Hoyt Outfi tters President Randy Walk. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

McFly OutdoorsOpens in Horner

McWhorter Management Group, LLC., owner Mike Mc-Whorter has acquired the former Jerry’s Sporting Goods LLC, an outdoor sports supply retail busi-ness with two locations in Horner and Flatwoods. The purchase repre-sents a new venture for McWhorter who also owns Mountain Air Ser-vices LLC., and Landmark Forestry LLC. McWhorter Management Group LLC., was formed when daughter, Kate McWhorter became a part of the family’s venture to assist in the purchase of Jerry’s Sporting Goods LLC.

Jerry’s Sporting Goods was established in Horner in 1975 and in 2009 opened a second location in Flatwoods. The stores feature an extensive inventory of rifl es, hand-guns, ammunitions, bows, fi shing supplies, and outdoor clothing and footwear. The Horner location has an indoor gun range and both loca-tions have indoor archery lanes.

McWhorter, a life-long resident of Horner, said, “Getting into the

retail arena is a new experience, but in many ways it’s a natural extension of my management infrastructure I have worked to develop over twenty years now.” When he is not fl ying, he often enjoys spending free time hunting and fi shing with family and friends. “McFly” is a nickname given to him by a close friend therefore the McWhorter family found McFly Outdoors to be a fi tting name for their latest venture.

“Most West Virginia Outdoors-men were well-acquainted with Jerry’s Sporting Goods,” according to McWhorter. He added, “We hope to expand the store’s loyal customer base and make enhancements that will position McFly Outdoors as the premier, family-owned, outdoors store in the state.” The offi cial launch date of McFly was on Feb. 1.

The new owner, Mike Mc-Whorter, along with wife, Michaela McWhorter, founded Landmark Forestry LLC in 1992 working pri-marily with non-industrial private

landowners. Landmark Forestry LLC is currently one of the premier forest-consulting fi rms in West Virginia and in surrounding states.

In 2002, McWhorter founded Mountain Air Services LLC. The company has proven expertise in several different aspects of the aviation industry, providing per-sonal charter fl ights, management services, aerial photography and mapping, fl ight instruction, and other fl ight services. Mountain Air Services provides maintenance through Skymark Aviation, an additional avionics company that McWhorter established in 2004.

Visit McFly Outdoors on Face-book or at their Website: http://www.mcflyoutdoors.com. The Horner business address is 90 Stonecoal Road, Horner, WV 26372. The Flatwoods location is at 270 Skidmore Lane, Sutton, WV 26601. You may call the Horner location at (304)-452-8227, or the Flatwoods location at (304)-765-5018.

Simply DeliciousContinued from 1Gpeople in our shop which is a fun part of the business as well.”

The dynamic baking duo will also prepare orders for special occasions such as birthdays, an-niversaries, dinners. Often they sell their baked goods at local events, for example events such as the Mountain Heritage Festival at Stonewall Resort. “We honor special orders any day,” said Jar-rell, “but we like to have at least a three-day advance notice.”

Pastry offerings include cook-ies by the dozen, bar cookies and brownies, chocolate, walnut and peanut butter fudge, all sorts of cakes and cupcakes from carrot to peanut butter to decadent coconut. Also a favorite among customers are cheesecakes in fl avors such as white chocolate raspberry, ultimate turtle, salted caramel, key lime, strawberry mousse and more.

Hungry for a good homemade pie? Search no more. The ladies offer apple, fruit, peanut butter,

graham cracker, coconut cream meringue, chocolate meringue, and lemon meringue pies in large ten inch deep size and smaller fi ve inch deep dish size.

Other standard offerings in-clude: apple dumplings, cinnamon rolls, puddings, baklava, and nine inch tarts.

You can also fi nd “A La Carte Fine Chocolates” for sale in their shop. The fi ne chocolates are made by Diane Wickland of Bridgeport, and are sold in exclusive locations, including Tamarack.

Both ladies have a lot of expe-rience at baking. Jarrell is known as a fi ne cook and said most of her education came from “the school of hard knocks.” The same is true of Kathy Boyle, but Boyle has had additional training at the L’acedemie de Cuisine in Gaithers-burg, Maryland, with instruction in fi ne French baking.

Marilyn and Kathy invite the public to attend their special Grand Opening Ribbon-Cutting Ceremo-ny at the Second Street Business on

Thursday, April 25, at noon. For more information on Simply

Delicious Desserts, call 304-641-0132 or 304-844-7987. Be sure to visit their Facebook page as well. You can email Simply Delicious Desserts at marionjarrellsco@yahoo.com.

Lewis County Elected Offi cialsCircuit Judge: (Vacant)Family Judge: Robert R. SowaMagistrates: Roger D. Clem, Jr., Michael R. GissyCircuit Clerk: John B. HinzmanProsecuting Attorney: Michael SmithSheriff: Adam M. GissyCounty Commissioners: Agnes Queen, Thomas Fealy, Patrick BoyleCounty Clerk: Mary Lou MyersAssessor: T. Chad KelleyBoard of Education: Paul Derico, Buck Probst, Beth Burkhart, Sylvia McNeish, Debbie ClemConservation District Supervi-sors: Bernadette Law, William McClain

G4—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

T&L HOT DOGS (Weston)

is Celebrating 33 Years in Business

Monday through Saturday 6:00 am - 6:00 pm, Carry Out Only 5:30-6:00 pm

Sunday 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

As Of July 1st, 2013

New Summer Hours

Buy 10 Hot Dogs and Get a Six Pack of Pop for $1.99Buy 20 Hot Dogs and Get a Six Pack of Pop for $1.49

Also Try Our Bisquits & Gravy and Fresh Cut Fries

Phone 304-269-1239We now have an ATM machine

Summer Special2 Hot Dogs, Fries, Drink $5.66

Dr. WilliamsContinued from 1G

Trena Williams Offers Legal AidWhat do you do if you get in

trouble with the law or are having marriage diffi culties and are con-templating a divorce? What about if you need to make out a will to detail where you want your posses-sions to go after you die?

These issues can be confusing so it is best to turn over the problem to an attorney. Trena Williams is an attorney in Weston who handles di-vorce, child custody, child support, criminal defense, wills and deeds.

Trena is a Lewis County native who graduated from Lewis County High School, married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Jeremy Wil-liams, got her undergraduate degree

from Glenville State College and her law degree from West Virginia University.

Trena decided to become an at-torney while in high school doing research on child abuse and neglect. She found a story about a little boy who was failed by the court system and it tugged at her heart.

“People need someone who cares a little bit,” said Trena.

Trena enjoys what she does as an attorney and said that helping families when their lives are in tur-moil is the best part of her practice.

“I like winning too,” said Trena. “That is always exciting.”

Trena worked as an attorney

in Morgantown for Widmer-Eby Associates while her husband com-pleted his residency at WVU. They both wanted to come back where they came from and in 2008 they moved back to Lewis County and Trena opened her own law practice on East Third St.

“We like being back home,” said Trena. “This is where our families are.”

Trena has two secretaries that assist in the offi ce, Brittany Riffl e and Crystal Bollinger. The offi ce is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To make an ap-pointment to talk to Trena Williams, call (304)-517-1460.

Posing at the law offi ce are, left to right:Brittany Riffl e, Crystal Bollinger and Trena Williams.

nurse practitioner since 2005.Junemarie said that Dr. Williams

“Is wonderful to work for and he loves his patients.”

Patients who see Junemarie will get the same quality care as they get from Dr. Williams. A nurse practi-tioner has the same capabilities of treating patients as a doctor.

“A nurse practitioner treats the whole person,” said Junemarie. “A doctor has a medical view and a nurse practitioner has a nursing view of the entire person.”

Junemarie handles most of the women’s health issues at the practice such as pap exams, mam-mograms and breast exams.

“People have a choice of who they want to see,” said Junemarie. “Right now it is easier to see me because I have more open slots.”

Dr. Williams wants patients to be able to be seen for health issues within a day or so, so by adding Junemarie has freed up more available appointment times. The

practice will also be expanding its hours soon to accommodate more patients.

He said that Junemarie can di-agnose and treat chronic problems as well as write prescriptions for medications except for controlled substances.

Williams Family Practice ac-cepts all types of insurance and for those who do not have insurance there is a nominal $50 charge per visit.

“I can’t just let people who don’t have insurance go without care,” said Dr. Williams.

To make an appointment to see Dr. Williams or Junemarie, call (304)-517-1301.

sphere that would be comfortable and accommodating for everyone.

The building will seat about 300 people comfortably and there is parking for 140 vehicles with ample handicapped parking near the door as well as a carport where family

Pat BoyleContinued from 1G

and friends can easily be dropped off and picked up.

“The parking makes a tremen-dous difference and convenience,” said Pat.

The funeral home also has a full service crematorium so that loved ones never have to leave the premises. Pat said several funeral homes in the area are also utilizing the crematorium which is the only one in Central West Virginia.

Pat said many potential custom-ers are calling about prices for his services both before and after the death of a loved one.

“This economy makes a differ-ence in spending money on one of the most expensive decisions one will make in life,” said Pat.

Pat Boyle funeral home serves Lewis County and also southern Harrison County. The business has a website, www.patboylefu-neralhome.com and a Facebook page. For more information about burials, cremations or other related questions, call Pat Boyle Funeral Home at (304)-884-2400.

City Gets Finances in OrderBy JOHN G. WOLFECity/Finance Manager Michele

Allen must carry out the fi nancial mandates enacted by the Weston City Council, and it is Allen who makes sure the budget is balanced.

Municipalities must maintain a balanced budget. A few years back when the IRS froze city funds at a local bank, it was discovered that a former city fi nance manager had not been paying withholdings and the city’s share from paychecks to the IRS, State Tax Department, Workers Comp and the Public Em-ployees Insurance Agency (PEIA) in a timely manner. The amount owed was estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Today, under proper fi nancial management and austerity pro-grams enacted by the council, all those debts have been paid off with the exception of PEIA. The city has been working on paying off that debt as well, making payments under an agreement with the agency

at $6,500 a month. It is estimated that now the amount owed PEIA is approximately $70,000. Originally $251,522.91 was owed PEIA. Allen said, “We will hopefully have this paid off before the end of the year, and then those debts will all have been paid.”

Under Allen’s fi nancial leader-ship, the city is now current on all bills. An antiquated accounting system, which involved more than one program has been ditched and replaced with an up-to-date consolidated system. City records with regards to the business and occupation tax and municipal fee have been updated, and all proper-ties and owners of property within the city identifi ed. Allen has also worked to make sure the fi remen and police pension funds are current and solvent.

Weston’s new Police Chief, Randall Posey, has worked hard since assuming the position to bolster the size of the police force.

Under his leadership, the police have been more visible in the com-munity and are working hard to enforce traffi c and other municipal ordinances.

Fire Chief Kenny James has worked to secure grants to keep the fi re department staffed with assistant chiefs

Public Works Director John Hogan has led the street depart-ment in making many community improvements.

The public works department has also completed drainage proj-ects on Harrison Avenue, Catherine Street and Spring Streets. More paving and storm water drainage projects are underway or planned for the near future.

With the payment of debts, an active mayor and council, depart-ment heads who work together, ac-tive commissions and committees, the future of the City of Weston looks much brighter than in the recent past.

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—G5

Alden Butcher Is AuctioneerCol. Alden K. Butcher is shown calling bids at his fi rst auction

and inaugural event held at the Hickory House Events Center on Rt. 19 between Weston and Jane Lew.

Joining the ranks of new busi-nesses in Lewis County this year is Alden K. Butcher Auctioneering.

While attending Fairmont State University, the young auctioneer developed an interest in the pro-fession. He decided to take up the trade and successfully completed coursework and graduated from the Worldwide College of Auctioneer-ing in Mason City, Iowa.

A lover of music and singer, Butcher said, “success in music requires attention to detail and an articulate voice. My music experi-ence has helped with voice control and has helped my auctioneering skills.” He is now offering his auctioneering services throughout the area.

Butcher will hold special auc-tions from time to time at the fam-ily’s new Hickory House Events Center at the junction of U.S. Rt. 19N and Jackson’s Mill Road. He has conducted four auctions at the site already and “they have been

very successful,” he said. “I am young in the business and am very excited about going forward.”

Butcher said he wished to, “thank all those who have helped me along the way in becoming an auctioneer.” He offered specifi c thanks to his parents, John and Susan Butcher and auctioneers Dick Graff and John Spiker.

The Events Center will host more auctions on an as-needed basis. He will conduct the estate auction of Lawson Smith at the cen-ter on May 11, beginning at 6 p.m.

Butcher is also available for off-site auctions. He is experienced in auto, estate and personal property, as well as charity and fundraising auctions.

You may contact Col. Alden K. Butcher by calling (304) -695-1621. His business address is 711 Jackson’s Mill Road, Jane Lew, WV 26378. His West Virginia Auctioneering License is WV1918.

By SUSAN C. BENTLEY

The real estate business has been unpredictable for the past several years but real estate broker Nancy Furby of All Service Realty and her staff have worked hard to make the past 20-years in business a success.

“I like matching people and properties,” said Nancy. “That is what this business is all about.”

Nancy has been in the real estate business since 1984 and opened All Service Realty on Jan. 1, 1992. “The market is great,” said Nancy. “Supply is low, demand is high and houses are selling quickly.”

Nancy said that she gets a lot of her business by word of mouth. “People come in and say ‘I hear you are a go getter,’” said Nancy.

Nancy is expanding her real estate operations with plans to add fi ve to six more agents in the near future.

“It is what you make of it” said Nancy. “You need to get out there and make it happen.”

Nancy has seen a lot of changes in the real estate industry over the past 30-years.

“I could count on one hand the number of foreclosures back then, now there are several every month,” said Nancy adding that the number

of foreclosures here is nothing like what is happening in the rest of the country.

The team of All Service Realty is now selling houses to the chil-dren and grandchildren of original buyers of houses when the business fi rst started.

”That is exciting,” said Nancy.Nancy has two offi ces to service

Lewis County, one on Rt. 19 in Jane Lew and another on Main Ave. in

Still Successful after 20 Years

Those who are interested in buying or selling a home, call Nancy Furby at All Service Realty for all of your home buying or selling needs. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

Weston. “There is a lot going on in this

area,” said Nancy. “Our inventory is lower than I have seen it in years, everything is selling and people are pretty much getting their ask-ing price.”

Her staff includes her aunt, Rosie Little who runs the Jane Lew offi ce and is also a licensed real estate agent. Other agents include Amy Hunt, Brenda Stout,

Nancy Alfred, Kristi Smith and Bob Taylor.

Nancy works as a housing in-spector with FEMA and insurance adjuster for various insurance com-panies assesing property damage from disaster and is also a real estate certifi ed residential appraiser.

She recently went to New York to help after Superstorm Sandy .

“Whenever people go through a disaster, they are broken,” said Nancy. “I help them through a painful time.”

Nancy’s mom and dad were from Lewis County but Nancy was born while her father was in the U.S. Marine Corp. They moved back to Lewis County right before she started school and have been here ever since. She has been married for the past 29-years to her husband, David, who works for Dominion Gas and they have two sons, one of which is getting married this year.

Nancy thanks God for all of her blessings and said, “I thank God for the good team, atmosphere and good way of life.”

Anyone interested in buying a home from All Service Realty can go to their website, www.allser-vicerealty.net or call the Weston offi ce at (304)-269-3333 and the Jane Lew offi ce at (304)-884-8949.

Weston Audiology Relocates To ExpandWeston Ear Nose and Throat has

a lot more space in its new offi ce located in the old Weston movie theater. The business is operated by Dr. John J. Wyllie who is a board certifi ed ear, nose and throat spe-cialist. The practice moved from its location on Center Ave in Weston last year to provide patients with more accessibility.

Dr. Wyllie said that the move has created an opportunity for im-provements to the practice besides having more room to expand to add diagnostic services and there is more readily accessible parking.

Dr. Wyllie diagnoses and treats all ear, nose and throat issues with treatments that include hearing aids, medication and surgery.

One of the most exciting means of diagnosing issues that have to do with balance and stability is called posturography.

“There has been an increase in balance issues because people are living longer and falling more,” said Dr. Wyllie. He added that those who have hip and shoulder surgeries are more prone to fall and a posturography diagnosis can help in that area.

“It is important to identify the cause of the falling and recommend therapy to prevent patients from having additional complications,” said Dr. Wyllie.

Patients of Weston Ear, Nose and Throat will receive a full au-diologic and medical evaluation to determine the cause of hearing loss and given appropriate treatment, said Dr, Wyllie.

Dr. Wyllie also has an associate, Dr. Diana Daughtery who has a doc-torate in audiology. Dr. Daugherty handles the posturography tests as well as hearing and balance tests.

Dr. Wyllie was born in Connecti-cut and earned his medical degree at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He came to Weston after a recruiting agency contacted him on behalf of Stonewall Jackson Hospital as there was a need for an ear, nose and throat specialist in Lewis County.

“It has been a pleasure living here,” said Dr. Wyllie. “I have enjoyed being here more than any place else.”

He added that patients here are receptive and easy to communicate with and he has developed a good doctor-patient relationship.

“I recently extended my rela-tionship with the hospital and am hopeful to continue serving Lewis County far into the future,” said Dr. Wyllie.

Weston Ear, Nose and Throat accepts all forms of insurance and can see patients without a refer-ral unless the insurance company

requires it. To make an appointment for an

ear or balance exam, call Weston Ear, Nose and Throat at (304)-517-1401.

Subscribe toThe Weston DemocratFor all the local news,

sports, advertising

Call 304-269-1600We accept Master Card & Visa

Our address is Post Offi ce Box 968or 306 Manin Ave.Weston, WV 26452

Our fax is 304-269-4035Our website is

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Energy Speaks, composed of nearly 2,500 members and 34 supporting partners in industry and business, is a source of factual information and communication for West Virginia’s present and future energy supply.

We know that by working together we can reinvigorate our local economies and share the benefits of a growing natural gas industry to strengthen the future for our state.

In order to provide the public with facts, clarify false information and offer an in-depth look into the natural gas industry, Energy Speaks has launched several outreach initiatives:

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Facebook: Just Beneath The Surface

Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston has served Lewis and surrounding counties for 40-years.

In 2012 Stonewall Jackson Me-morial Hospital (SJMH) celebrated its 40th anniversary of serving the central West Virginia area in its present location. The hospital moved into its present facility on Nov. 19, 1972.

SJMH Administrator Avah Stalnaker explained part of the history. “SJMH has been serving the community as an acute care hospital since 1958. In 1972 the facility opened at its current loca-tion on Route 33 west of Weston. We are celebrating our 40th year in the building, which was funded in part by the generous contributions of local citizens and businesses. The hospital and medical staff has grown over the years, which now presents the challenge of contin-ued growth with limited space,” she noted.

The growth is due in part to good fi nancial management but also due to employees of the hospital and a well-qualifi ed medical staff.

Medical Board President John Wyllie explained the hospital phi-losophy. “When we hear ‘hospital’, our fi rst thought is a building where care is provided to the sick. But its heart and soul is a refl ection of the caring warmth and professionalism of its people; from the leadership of its CEO to the unseen and unknown members of the maintenance staff.

This is what makes SJMH a hospital where the sick come to get well. This philosophy starts at the top and comes down through the entire organization. To meet the needs of the sick entrusted to the doctors and nurses, everyone must contribute as a team and this is another of the factors that makes SJMH seem to be more like a home with a family than an institution.

While there are titles and re-sponsibilities, the dominant feel-ing within the hospital is ‘what and how can I help you.’ There is caring warmth that fl ows forward enveloping everyone; those there to receive care and those there to offer it. This feeling is infectious

and gives reason for SJMH and the community to feel proud of its accomplishments,” he explained.

A Short HistoryThe decision to create a new

medical facility was complicated but eventually brought the com-munity together in funding the new hospital.

In 1958 Doctors Ralph M. Fisher and Edwin A. Trinkle sold their Weston City Hospital, located on North Main Avenue, to the newly incorporated, community-orga-nized Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital Company.

The sale was brought about by concerns that some local doc-tors were considering moving to other areas. Members of the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce decided to intercede and investi-gate the possibility of creating a non-profi t community hospital. Thus the SJMH Company board was established.

Remarkably, the community was able to raise more than $500,000 in little over two months to fund part of the hospital building in 1966. Nearly every organization, church and school in the area was involved with raising the needed money. For example, the Weston High School students raised $300 with a talent show; C & P Telephone Company donated $5,000; the Theresa Snaith Hospital Auxiliary pledged $10,000 to the effort.The fund-raising not only included Lewis County but was expanded to surrounding counties.

Gerald Wood, retired pharma-cist, was part of the fund-raising effort and currently sits on the SJMH Board of Directors.

He noted, “Raising that money was a wonderful community effort. There was not an organization in the county who was not involved in the fundraising. It was a matter of civic pride for Lewis County and every-one donated. You couldn’t name a person who wasn’t involved.”

As well as the half million dollar

local donation, grant money was received from the state and federal governments. The Economic De-velopment Administration, under Gov. Arch A. Moore, Jr., and federal organizations awarded the hospital group $1,936,000 for construction. The total cost of the hospital was to be $3,870,000. Groundbreak-ing for the building took place in May 1970.

In 1972, the long-awaited project was fi nished and the new hospital sat on the western edge of Weston. The location of the building was dictated by the Army Corps of Engineers, who said the building had to be out of the Weston fl oodplain in order to receive any federal grants.

At its completion, the facility was considered to be one of the fi nest hospitals for its size in the country. It featured two operating rooms, two X-ray rooms, two labor rooms, one delivery room and 10 OB rooms. The parking lot accom-modated 120 cars and 127 people were employed here. Emil Baldwin was administrator and Elden H. Pertz, M.D., was the Chief of Staff. The completion of the main build-ing was only the beginning for the healthcare facility.

In 1979 Physician Offi ce Build-ing Number One was completed. The four-suite, 6,000-square-foot building was constructed to recruit additional physicians to the area and give them a location near the hospital. Physician Building Num-ber Two was completed in 1987.

In 1990 administrative offi ces and a pharmacy were added to the main facility and over 200 em-ployees and 25 physicians called SJMH home.

During the 1990s more renova-tions took place and SJMH created a new agency, Stonewall Jackson Home Care. The hospital also took a big-step by purchasing a large tract of land on the corner of Route 33 and Interstate 79 with the goal of

SJMH Serving 40 Years

Finance Manager Heath Haddix and owner Larry Haddix invite those who are interested in a new car to check out the new restyled Dodge Dart at H and M Motors in Weston. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

H and M Motor Company of Weston celebrated its 30th year in business in 2012. The Chrysler, Dodge and Ram dealer located at 373 East Third St proudly declares that “Our Vision is to provide our customers and friends with sales and service excellence.

By following this vision we have been one of the highest awarded dealerships in the U.S., receiv-ing some of the highest customer satisfaction scores possible and maintained Five Star status for 15 straight years. The dealership has been a three-time charger club win-ner (top 20 dealers in the country

in the area of service excellence) as well as a three-time recipient of Chrysler’s award for excellence, representing the top .2 percent of all dealers in the US.”

Owner Larry Haddix purchased the dealership in 1982 from William Rogers and said the success of the business is more about employee dedication than about him being the owner.

“I have employees who have been here for years and years,” said Haddix. “Their loyalty means a lot.”

Indeed, there are employees working at H and M who have been

H & M Motors Marks 30 Yearsthere for 25, 35 and even 45-years.

“Buck Probst will be 76-years old in June and has been here for 45-years,” said Haddix. “Buck has sold over 10,000 cars. Not bad for the little town of Weston.”

Haddix and his wife, Carol, were born and raised in Lewis County. The Haddix’s were living in Charleston and Larry worked for Chrysler as a factory representative when he decided to purchase the dealership and move back to his hometown.

The building that houses the offi ces and service department of

Continued on H2

Continued on H2

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St. Paul’s To Celebrate 165th Birthday in OctoberSt. Paul’s Episcopal Church

in Weston will celebrate its 165th birthday this October. The original church building was not complete until 1850 but the ministry was established in 1848 by prominent citizens of Weston.

The original church building was erected on the lot now occupied by the First Baptist Church. It was a simple frame building with rented box pews. The original church used to be across the street from where it is now in the building that is now oc-cupied by the First Baptist Church. When the church was completed there were only 250 people who lived in the town of Weston.

Rev. John Valentine of St. Paul’s said that later the two churches swapped properties and the current St. Paul’s stands where it is today. According to St Paul’s Anniversary Recipe 1984 book, the Masonic Fraternity laid the cornerstone for the present building in the afternoon of July 25, 1895 before a large crowd of interested onlookers. The new church was built of rough hewn

limestone and can be described as Gothic architecture.

The church was completed in 1900 with a total cost of $16,215.46 to build which was a lot of money in 1895. The Episcopalians brought two things from the old church, a stained glass window and a church bell. Photos of the completed church in 1900 look exactly the same as the church looks today.

The inside of the sanctuary was made in the shape of the cross until later when one side was partitioned off for offi ces.

“We have a beautiful building,” said Rev. Valentine. “The windows are priceless.”

Later in the 20th century, West Hall was added during the 1950s and in 1991 the current rectory was built where Rev. Valentine resides with his wife. There were two prior rectories one on the northern end of Main Ave across the street from the location of the old City Hospital that was used sometime around 1857 to 1907. After that, the rectory was located on the West side of Main

Rev. John Valentine is standing in the altar area of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The beautiful stained glass windows surround the altar and provide light to the sanctuary. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

Avenue, directly across from the Masonic Temple. This rectory was used until the current one was built.

Rev. Valentine said that the church community of St. Paul’s is unique in that they have the opportunity to take part in getting involved in the community.

“Part of who we are is to take root in the community and our folks are committed to that,” said Valentine.

The origin of the Episcopal Church goes back to King Henry the VIII days when he founded the Church of England to get away from the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. The church is in commu-nion with the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Rev. Valentine said that some people call the Episcopalians the Anglo-Catholic Church in that they are similar in their prayers and ser-vices but they lack the dogma and doctrine of the Catholics.

“We accept and encourage a real diversity of people and ideas,”

G. J. Garton Insurance Agency, Inc. has been serving the needs of Lewis Countians for 55-years. The agency was started by George Joseph Garton in 1958. His son, Joshua Garton is the current owner of the business, having taken over the agency when his father passed away in 1987.

Joshua Garton said that his

father was a dairy farmer back in 1958 and with seven children in the family he needed more income to provide for the family. “He began as a door-to-door insurance sales-man back then, and eventually pur-chased the Edwards and Edwards Insurance Company, with offi ces over top of the old G.C. Murphy Store in downtown Weston.”

G. J. Garton Marks 55 YearsThe younger Garton said he was

working in construction, when in 1986 he began working with his father. When his father passed away he “took the helm.”

Since that time, Joshua Garton has built the independent insurance agency which has grown in size. Currently the agency, with the

Continued on H5

G.J. Garton Insurance employees include front row, left to right - Chris Heater and Amber Heater; back row, left to right - Bridgett Collins, Nikki Hefner, Brenda Davis, Josh Garton, and Vivetta Cain.

H2—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

What do you do when you pull that boat out of the water for the season or need a place to store that recreational vehicle when you are not using it?

Champion Recreational Storage in Weston can store all of your campers, RV, trailer, automobile, boat or jet ski in a clean uncovered fenced lot with a security camera for the low price of $40 a month.

The business is owned by James and Tanya McCall-Riley who have spent several months getting the property ready to open for business.

The property has been removed of all the old cars, tractor trailers and anything that Mrs. Riley’s father Ernest McCall Sr., felt he could make a few dollars on to support his large family.

James and Tanya used local businesses to help with getting the property ready such as Select Ex-cavating, Mark Kiser Construction, Butcher-Layfi eld, The Nail Barn,

Custom Signs and Graphix, Miller Supply, S & S Sales and Service, Shriver Trucking, Central Supply and some local great guys to fi ll in the gaps.

The Riley’s said that each of these businesses made a difference, especially Select Excavating. They added up to three feet of clean fi ll dirt in some areas to prevent any infl ux of water from the creek. Jimmy Butcher, the owner of Select Excavating, was there early and worked late, taking pride in his accomplishment as he made the old go away.

A new 20 x 40 foot building from Carolina Carports and sold through Appalachian Glass was also added to the property and more will be added as business grows.

For more information about Champion Recreational Storage, call James or Tanya at (304)-269-3712

Recreational VehicleStorage Now Open

LC Has New Water Park

Park visitors enjoyed the new $1.8 million water park last summer.

The Lewis County Park creek banks were stabilized with rock in 2012.

The Lewis County Park is one area in Weston that is a great place to bring the family to hang out, have a picnic, play ball and even go swimming. There have been a lot of changes to the park in the past couple of years with the main addition being the new water park that was completed last May.

The new pool cost $1.8 million and was paid for by the citizens of Lewis County through a levy passed in a special election held in June of 2011.

Demolition and construction of the new pool began in September of 2011 and with good weather was able to meet the deadline of opening in time for the Memorial Day weekend 2012.

The new pool has full 25 me-ter swimming lanes, two diving boards, a baby pool, several water features and slides.

The pool was constructed by Paddock Pools of Rockville, Md., with local suppliers and workers also working on the project.

The pool will reopen on Memo-rial Day weekend and will only be open on weekends until school is out for the summer. Then the pool will be open every day from 12 noon to 6 p.m., until school starts again in August.

Another area of the park that needed attention was the creek bed that runs through the middle of the park. Parts of the creek banks were collapsing which was causing a safety issue for park visitors. Park Director John Shaffer was con-cerned about the safety hazard and degradation of the park as well as Bernadette Law, Richard Bonnett and the West Fork Conservation

District supervisors. Funding was procured through

the county and grants to stabilize the creek banks by sloping 925 feet

of stream bank and placing stone along the banks to combat further erosion, and now the park is much safer for children to play.

The project cost $47,080 and took about three weeks to complete.

For more information about the Lewis County Park go to the website www.lewiscountypark.com or call (304)-269-6599.

Adult Diabetes Rate: 13.9%Adult Obesity Rate: 29.8%Average Size of Farms: 212

AcresMost Common First Names

Among Deceased People: Mary, William, James, John, Charles, Robert, George, Thomas, Margaret and Ruth.

Most Common Last Names Among Deceased People:Smith, Butcher, Brown, Riffl e, Taylor, Linger, Burkhammer and Blake.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and City-date.com.

Lewis County Statistics

Reach out to New Customers with

The Weston Democrat

Jonathon “J.R.” Dodson has been in the insurance business for more than 15-years and is celebrat-ing 10-years with his own agency, North Central Insurance Services, located in Marketplace Shopping Center in Weston.

North Central Insurance Ser-vices is an independent insurance agency representing Erie Insur-ance. The agency offers all lines of insurance coverage for personal and commercial coverage such as auto, homeowners, life and health insurance.

“Our prices are very competi-tive,” said J.R. explaining that Erie is the third highest insurer of auto insurance in West Virginia and second in commercial lines.

J.R. was also excited to tell about Erie’s lock your rate option. An insured person can lock in their rates on their auto insurance for life. There are three things that would ultimately change the premium. One, Trade the vehicle. Two, move to a difference location and three, add or delete drivers.

The requirements to qualify for insurance with Erie Insurance can be particular with new insurers with more than two tickets in fi ve years, DUI, or more than one accident in 3-years not being eligible.

“We look for customers that are profi table and keep them,” said J.R.

To back up J.R.’s claim that Erie Insurance can save people money, this reporter (Susan Bentley) had him work up a price quote for my auto and homeowners insurance that is currently with another nationally well-know insurance company. Matching apples to apples, the quote for auto was 10 percent less and the homeowners was 25 percent less even with add-ing farm operations coverage which I currently do not have.

J.R. said that he has more leverage with commercial lines insurance pricing as personal insur-ance premiums are more “cut and dry." Erie Insurance offers all lines of property and casualty insurance for businesses as well as workers’ compensation.

“Erie has excellent workers’ compensation rates and service,” said J.R. describing one roustabout company he was able to save more than $40,000 a year in workers’

North Central Insurance Has 10th Anniversary

compensation costs.Erie Insurance may have less

expensive premiums but J.R. said that customers do not lose any coverage but rather the company enhances standard insurance in-dustry coverage.

“There is a blue X next to any coverage that is enhanced by Erie,” said J.R.

For those who do not qualify for Erie’s high standards of per-sonal auto insurance, North Central Insurance Services also carries high risk insurance through Pro-gressive and Dairyland Insurance companies.

Recently, J.R. moved his North Central Insurance Services offi ce two doors down to its current location.

“The move was a courtesy to my landlord who wanted the space for a pawn shop and he would have had to rip out walls to accommodate the new tenants so I moved here."

Before moving, the offi ce of North Central Insurance was an open space and the new location has separate offi ces for more privacy when talking to clients.

J.R. was born and raised in Lewis County and lives in Weston with his wife and three children. He is also very active in the local com-munity. J.R. would participate in triathlons in other states and started the annual triathlon that is held every year at Stonewall Jackson Resort. Also, J.R.’s three children play soccer and he wanted them to be able to play after the winter set in so he started the Friends of Youth Soccer last year and acquired an indoor arena at Jackson’s Mill where soccer players young and old played this past winter.

Needless to say J. R. keeps busy with his insurance business and extracurricular activities and other contributions to Lewis County.

“I am the luckiest man in the world to do what I do and also have the freedom to help out in the community,” said J.R.

For more information about North Central Insurance Services and Erie Insurance go to www. northcentralinsuranceservices.com or call (304)-269-5330 to get a quote. The offi ce of North Central Insurance is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Licensed agents Leslie Detamore and J.R. Dodson are ready to serve all of your insurance needs at North Central Insurance Services in the Marketplace Plaza. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—H3

Sharon Ours is shown with her 13-year-old Rottweiler Sheba.

A Domestic FriendIn Business 14 Years

A Domestic Friend is a local company in Buckhannon that offers in-home pet sitting services along with online ordering of Flint River Ranch all natural pet food products.

“We are grateful in these eco-nomic times to remain so busy,” stated Sharon Ours, owner of A Domestic Friend. “Although more people are staying home, we are able to provide a vital service for that one vacation during the year. Our one-on-one individual care is what our customers are seeking.”

Customers receive top quality service for their hard earned money and can rest at ease knowing A Domestic Friend is bonded and insured and a member of Pet Sit-ters International since 1999. They will be celebrating their 14th year in business this August.

During each visit pets receive food, water, a walk, any medica-tions, cleanup, as well as “gate keeping, which means they will check in and around your home at each visit and take in your mail or newspaper and rotate your lights.” This practice helps to make your home less vulnerable while you are away.

A Domestic Friend recently updated their website with a fresh new design that features their updated logo and easy access to ordering the Flint River Ranch pet foods as well as pet sitting services and pricing. The new site provides access to the full line of the Flint River Ranch all natural pet food products and guaranteed analysis of ingredients so you may compare it to your current pet food.

Some of the current products are Original Puppy and Adult food with a minimum of 23 percent protein available in kibble or nug-gets, a lamb meal, millet and rice formula that is wheat free and made specifi cally for dogs with wheat intolerance and a variety of treats from wafers, bones and biscuits to Braided Pizzle Sticks made from USDA inspected steers.

For the feline lovers, we offer a highly sought after favorite, Bonita Flakes. The fl akes are 100 percent shaved Bonita fi sh that

have been sun-dried to produce a light and tasty snack that any cat will surely love.

“After doing extensive research on food for my own pets and those of my customers, I found Flint River Ranch,” said Ours. “In my line of work, I have seen many animals suffering from allergies, hot spots and other ailments. From my research Flint River had shown the best results in helping these conditions so we decided to become a distributor. We now have well over 500 clients nationwide.”

The site provides a dedicated page for customer testimonials over the years. Another new feature is easy one click access to submit your own comments and questions to Sharon.

“We will be celebrating 14-years in August of this year. We are very thankful to all of our current cus-

tomers and the referrals we get on a regular basis,” Ours said, “We are dedicated pet lovers and use our products everyday. We have two dogs, Sheba, a 13-year-old Rottweiler, Addie, a 5-year-old German Sheppard and three cats. And they all love Flint River.”

A Domestic Friend is also a member of the CERT K-9 Unit in Weston. Sharon also works at Wal-Mart in Buckhannon and her husband, Bob Ours is a retiree from Union Carbide and is a member of the Buckhannon Moose Lodge.

To fi nd out more about A Do-mestic Friend’s services, they can be reached at (304)-613-9088 or online at www.adomesticfriend.com. A complete listing of services and prices are available along with online ordering for all the Flint River Ranch products.

An aerial view of Stonewall Jackson Resort in Roanoke shows the lodge surrounded by the beauti-ful West Virginia mountains. Photo submitted by Stonewall Jackson Resort.

Resort Still Growing

H4—The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013

Close to Nature. Far from Ordinary.I-79, Exit 91

The staff of Stonewall Resort State Park would like to express gratitude to Lewis County for supporting our efforts to build and maintain an award-winning destination that attracts thousands of people each year.

Come experience the resort yourself and enjoy activities that are fun for the whole family.

At our Roanoke Activity Plaza you can:

Proud to be part of Lewis County for over 10 years

WILLIAMSFAMILY PRACTICE, PLLC

Jeremy Williams, M.D.1 Garton Plaza, Weston, WV 26452

304-517-1301

Now Accepting PatientsCall Today for

an Appointment

As of May 1stHours:

Mon-7:30am-5pmTues, Th urs 9am-6pm

Wed 9am-5pm Fri 7:30am-5pm

Welcoming Nurse Practitioner,

Junemarie Williams, FNP-BC

Standing: Junemarie Williams, Sandra McPherson, Andi Lamb, Lisa Alfred, Dr. Jeremy Williams, Seated: Brandi Skinner, Daisy Montgomery, Kayla CavinsDirectly Off I-79, Exit 105 Jane Lew Phone (304) 884-7095

Robin’s Nest Travel Center wants to thank everyone who has supported our business and our events this year and last. We are striving to make sure your visit is enjoyable and will keep you coming back. We are very proud of our community and will continue our efforts to help supportLewis County. Please let us know of any suggestions or comments. Our e-mail is comment@wvrobin.com or

us on Facebook.

Second and Center Celebrates 5 Years

Pictured front row (left to right) are: Andi Evans, Elizabeth Tanner and Erica Evans; back row, Mike Evans, Josh Evans and Dustin Bonnell.

Hello Weston. It’s Just amazing, Second and Center Cafe is here for the fi fth year. We thank our loyal customers for helping make that possible. Owner Josh Evans is now married to his lovely wife, Erica.

They will be celebrating their fi rst year anniversary April 28. Erica introduces cafe baked goods to the cafe each week.

We are working the cafe garden again this spring to provide fresh

romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, peas, onions, etc, free of pesticides.

There will be a new menu com-ing out soon adding foods we have tried as specials in the past that were

your favorites. If you are needing healthy foods, we offer low fat, low sodium (mostly sodium free), never deep fried, menu. All our soups are cafe made and that way we control the fat and sodium. This year we also added gluten free wraps, bread and cookies to our menu.

Don’t forget free WIFI is avail-able at the cafe for your enjoyment and work convince. Join us on Face-book to see our daily specials and events. This summer we have many gifted, local musicians scheduled.

Don’t forget to come and browse the local artisans works on display. In September, Weston will be home to a new addition to the cafe fam-ily. We are glad to announce baby Tanner is coming to Elizabeth and Travis. More information on that will follow soon.

Thank you Weston for all your support. We look forward to a economic explosion for Weston this year.

Deerfi eld Country Club Chef Wayne Losh and Manager Jeff Linger invite the public to come out and hit some golf balls on the 70-plus acre golf course. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

Deerfi eld Marks 35 YearsDeerfi eld Country Club is a

wonderful 70 plus acre golf course. The golf course is a 36 par,

nine regulation hole public golf course just down the road from Jackson’s Mill.

Deerfield Country Club is celebrating its 35th year in Lewis County and plans are in the works for many activities throughout the year.

Every week the food on the

buffet is different but some of the examples are grilled pork loin chops, creamed oysters with pasta and hickory smoked BBQ chicken prepared by chef Wayne Losh. There are also homemade desserts made by pastry chef Daniel Edgell. The buffet is all you can eat for $9.95 and the weekly menu can be seen in The Weston Democrat every week or by going to the Deerfi eld Friday Night Buffet on Facebook.

The Weston Democrat Economic Update, April 24, 2013—H5

SJMHContinued from 1H

eventually building a new facility. Unfortunately, several unforeseen factors have put a hold on that goal.

In the fi rst decade of the new millennium, SJMH continued to grow and improve the services to the community. A family medicine/walk-in facility was opened in Jane Lew to serve patients in the northern end of the county. In 2008 Stonewall Jackson Home Care and Stonewall Home Oxygen Therapy were moved to a more convenient and larger location at Market Place Mall at the intersection of Route 33 and Interstate 79.

Since the building of a new hospital has been delayed, the SJMH administration, beginning in 2010, has undertaken a round of renovations to the 40-year-old facility which includes remodeling the lobby, gift shop, cafeteria and ultimately all of the patient rooms. Presently, the offi ces of Weston Orthopedic and Sports Medicine are undergoing remodeling. The offi ces of Weston Ear, Nose and Throat were moved adjacent to Stonewall Jackson Home Care.

Another change in healthcare has been in the area of physician employment. Prior to the 1990s many doctors went into medical practice on his/her own. How-ever, running a medical offi ce has become much more complicated than 50-years ago. The majority of physicians practicing at SJMH are now employed by the hospital.

In December 2011 long-time administrator David D. Shaffer retired from his position at SJMH. He had served the hospital for more than 36-years and successfully put SJMH on solid fi nancial ground. Avah Stalnaker, who had been as-sociate administrator since 1990 was appointed to succeed him.

Chief Operating Offi cer Kevin Stalnaker pointed out the economic and social importance of the hos-pital for the local economy. He said, “The hospital serves as an economic engine for our region. The hospital currently has over 500 employees serving as either full-time, part-time or on an as needed basis from Lewis and surrounding counties.

SJMH is one of the top three em-ployers in the county and employs doctors, nurses and technicians of many types. SJMH employees received compensation and benefi ts of over $24,000,000 over the last year. This income fi nds its way back into the economy of our region as our employees are from our area. More than 300 employees are from Lewis County, over 80 from Upshur County and Harrison County has 50 residents that are employees here.

The contributions extend be-yond the fi nancial as our employees serve as local sports coaches, 4-H leaders and civic leaders.”

The medical staff also con-tributes to our local economy, individually, but also by bringing patients into our region. SJMH has been very successful in recruiting a variety of specialists including a pulmonologist, cardiologist, or-thopedic surgeons, ob/gyns, urolo-gist, ENT, surgeons, internists and family practitioners. Making these specialties available to the SJMH patients means that people can have their healthcare locally rather then traveling miles to other facilities.

Avah Stalnaker elaborated, “One reason for the success of SJMH has been the development of the highly qualifi ed medical staff. Another reason is the commitment of the excellent employees who care for our patients. All are focused on the quality of care provided to members of our community.

SJMH was recently recognized by The Joint Commission as one of the Top Performers on Key Qual-ity Measures for 2011. The Joint Commission recognizes accredited hospitals that attain and sustain ex-cellence in accountability measure performance. SJMH is in the top 18 percent of Joint Commission accredited hospitals.

In conclusion, she noted, “This commitment to quality will con-

and M Motors was built in 1968 and the original dealership dates back to sometime in the early 1900s.

H and M Motors is a full service Chrysler, Dodge and Ram dealer, specializing in all new car sales, parts and service. They also offer a PPG certifi ed body shop and a used car lot across the street.

H and M Motors is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The service department is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m., to 12 noon.

For more information about H and M Motors you may call sales at (888)-233-6761, service at (888)-887-1552 or parts at (866)-796-7410.

Anyone interested in vehicles at H and M Motors can also go to their website at www.handmmotor.com.

main offi ce in Weston employs 14 individuals, with branch offi ces in Parsons and Grantsville.

Garton says that running an independent insurance agency en-ables him to offer more fl exibility to customers in order to meet their needs.

The agency works hard to serve and build trust with customers, seeking out the best insurance com-panies to offer the most appropriate coverage at the best prices.

“I really push customer service,” said Garton. “We are there before, during and after the sale.”

They work with 22 insurance companies to fi nd the best fi t for each customer. Garton’s offers assistance with auto, motorcycle, home, business/commercial, life, health, farm, equine, fl ood and boat/yahct insurance.

You can fi nd G.J. Garton In-surance at 400 U.S. Hwy33E in Weston. You can reach them by calling (304)-269-3095 or toll-free at 1-800-696-3095. Their business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m., to 5 p.m., and they offer 24 hour-emergency claim service.

H&MContinued from 1H

G. J. GartonContinued from 1H

St. Pat’s Church Is Nearly Restored

The restoration of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Weston sanctuary is a vision of elegance and beauty. (Photo by Susan C. Bentley)

By SUSAN C. BENTLEY

St. Patrick’s Church in Weston began a restoration process in 2011 after a roof leak caused damage to the interior of the church. The com-plete restoration is scheduled to be completed in 2014 just in time for the church’s 100-year-old birthday.

According to Pastoral Associate Mary Mazza Hendricks, St. Pat’s was built in 1914 with a remodel-ing completed sometime during the 1950s.

“This is a restoration, not a remodel,” said Hendricks. “We are taking the church back to near original condition while keeping with changes after Vatican 2.”

The church bell system was also replaced as it had not functioned properly for years.

The Parish Office Manager Sandra Mick said that many of the parishioners have said they didn’t realize the church was in that bad of shape.

The result of the restoration is an amazing vision of architectural and aesthetic beauty that would make the Vatican proud.

On June 7, at 6 p.m., there will be a service where Bishop Michael Bransfi eld will come to bless the

new altar and in 2014 the church will be rededicated for its 100-year birthday.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church

is located at 210 Center Avenue in Weston and celebrates Mass on Wednesday at 6 p.m., Friday at 8:15 a.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and

Sunday at 9:30 a.m.Call (304)-269-3048 or (304)-

269-1244 for information about St. Pat’s.

tinue as the hospital begins a new process to analyze our processes for patient care, question why we are performing functions, assess the value of each, continue to develop our employees and our customer service skills and maintain our fi nancial viability.

Healthcare is a complex busi-ness with a future that is unknown due to the changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act. SJMH will adapt and continue to provide quality care to our community.”

The fi nal location of the natural gas station is still to be determined but it will be just off the main corridor exit in Jane Lew.

Natural Gas Station Site

The Weston Democratwebsite is

www.westondemocrat.com