West Virginia

WV National Cemetery prepares for community effort on 9/11

Published

2 years ago

September 10, 2024

WV National Cemetery prepares for community effort on 9/11

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – As we honor and recognize the lives that were lost on 9/11, we should also take the time to acknowledge the fallen heroes that have served and fought for our freedom. Around the nation VA National Cemeteries will be joined by thousands of volunteers, in an effort to clean the headstones of fallen soldiers and beautify the grounds. A day known as Carry the Load Patriot Day. In Grafton, the West Virginia National Cemetery and employees like, Ivy Bartlett will also be participating in the nation wide event. Hoping to spark community comradery and a bit of patriotism.

“Cremation and above ground cremation section, they come through and basically straighten up the place a little bit better than what it really looks like right now. Really the main focus we do is, we have a big project for them, when they come in. What they do is we’ll give them scrub brushes and buckets of soapy water and they’ll go through and scrub the headstones for us.”

While tomorrow serves as a day of remembrance; it can also be a day of service. Not only to ones country, but also their own community.

“Last year you could say there were probably twenty-five to fifty people. This year we’re expecting fifty to over one hundred people. So, we’re expecting a big turnout this year.”

While tomorrows volunteers hope to leave the cemetery better than they found it. The collective mission is to never forget.

“Never forgetting, never forgetting 9/11. We try to emphasize that every single time we have volunteers come out, if they want to talk or stuff like that that. Our director is going to do a big speech for everybody, on just the remembrance of 9/11.”

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Related Topics:Carry the Load Patriot Day Featured grafton September 11 VA National Cemeteries West Virginia National Cemetery

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West Virginia

Stories of the Week: June 14 through June 20

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9 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

Stories of the Week: June 14 through June 20

There are early Dyson deals for Prime Day Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner — the annual four-day sales event is happening June 23-26 this year. In the past, it’s been a great time to score substantial discounts on Dyson products, from …

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West Virginia

Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews

Published

20 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va – Charleston is celebrating Juneteenth with its annual parade, followed by a celebration in Slack Plaza featuring live entertainment, food, educational exhibits, and more.

The parade stepped off from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center at 11:30 on Friday with a long line of organizations participating and several community members recognized as “Mr. and Miss Juneteenth.” Smiles dotted the procession as organizers watched a community come together.

“It’s just a wonderful thing when we can bring the community together to celebrate freedom, and here in West Virginia, we’ve had some challenges because they’ve said that Juneteenth is not a state holiday, but our people are still celebrating,” parade chairperson Karen Williams said.

The parade marked the start of an entire day recognizing the history of Juneteenth, the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people when the Union Army arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. With the last stronghold of slavery in the Confederate States eradicated that day, June 19 came to be celebrated as a second independence day, and President Joe Biden established it as a national holiday in 2021.

In West Virginia, former Gov. Jim Justice was the first to declare a state holiday and did so in each of his last four years in office. Gov. Patrick Morrisey recognized Juneteenth with a proclamation on Friday but has not declared a state holiday in 2025 or 2026.

“Representation really matters, so seeing Black queens and Black kings roaming the streets of Charleston is a beautiful thing, and it’s a needed thing. I think there’s a lot more people that aren’t going to celebrate Juneteenth than people that are, so I think it’s really important that we continue to celebrate this holiday and show why it’s important,” Miss Juneteenth Adult Keyarna Frederick said.

Different groups from around the Kanawha Valley came out to participate from businesses and youth organizations to political committees and arts collectives. Williams believes that shows that Juneteenth is a day for the entire community to celebrate.

“Appalachian people have always grown up and lived together, and what we want—we want people to continue that. We want people to continue to be together. We’re not saying this is a Black event or a white event. We welcome all people to come and participate,” she said.

The parade route echoed her sentiment as nearly everyone who joined the parade shared handshakes, high-fives, and hugs. That spirit of togetherness spoke to the day’s honorees as well.

“It’s definitely something that we should all be celebrating. It’s for all of us, not just for a certain color or a certain kind. It’s for all of us, so I believe everyone should be celebrating this day,” Mr. Juneteenth Adult Edward Frederick said.

“This is my first time in the parade. It’s so beautiful. It’s so amazing to see different organizations a part of the parade, seeing how much muscle has went into even doing something like this, so I think it’s a beautiful thing for Charleston,” Keyarna Frederick added.

From the parade to the activities in Slack Plaza, the day’s organizers sought to create an environment to celebrate Juneteenth with a spirit of unity. Williams hopes that anyone that joined or watched felt that along the way.

“I want them to see that we are Almost Heaven, West Virginia; that we are celebrating freedom; and that we are a community that embraces one another,” she said.

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