Huntington festival parade cancelled

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The parade for the Huntington Homecoming and Applebutter Festival, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sept. 26, has been cancelled. All other events will be held as planned.

Preservation alliance to present awards

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia plans to honor a Huntington family and an official with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Hyman family and Greg Coble will be recognized Wednesday for their work in historic preservation and heritage development during the alliance’s awards banquet at the Keith-Albee Theater in Huntington.

Coble is chief financial officer for the national trust. The Charleston native helped to list the Blair Mountain Battlefield on the trust’s list of the nation’s most endangered historic places in 2006.

Three generations of the Hyman family owned the Keith-Albee, which opened in 1928 as a vaudeville theater and later operated as a movie theater. The theater closed in 2006 and is being restored as a performing arts center.

Children’s Choir to rehearse at SSU

PORTSMOUTH — The Shawnee State University Children’s Choir will have their first rehearsal of the season at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, Room 130.

All children who sang in the choir last year for the holiday season are encouraged to attend and remain a member.

Children wishing to become a new member must audition at that time. Children ages 8-12 are eligible to audition.

All singers in the SSU Children’s Choir must be available for performances on Dec. 3 and Dec. 6.

For more information, contact the director, Shirley Crothers-Marley at (740) 858-2378.

Ex-Marshall star set as grand marshal

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Former Marshall and New England Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown will be the grand marshal of his alma mater’s 2009 homecoming parade.

The parade will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 1. The event normally is held on Saturday of homecoming week but was moved to Thursday because of a noon kickoff for Marshall’s Oct. 3 game with East Carolina.

Brown retired a year ago after 15 NFL seasons, all with the Patriots.

He set the team record for career catches and helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls. Brown was a member of Marshall’s 1992 Division I-AA championship team.

WNF offers “fee-free” weekend

NELSONVILLE — The Wayne National Forest is offering a “Fee-Free” weekend at some developed campgrounds and picnic areas on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27.

The special offer is in honor of National Public Lands Day. This year, the theme is water and public lands. Beaches, lakes, rivers, wetlands and streams make up some of our most treasured and most widely used public areas.

The fee-free offer applies to campsites at New Stone Church, Burr Oak Cove, Pine Knob, and Oak Hill (those sites that are not reserved online) campgrounds. Free campsites are available on a first come, first serve basis. The fee-free offer does not apply to campsites or group picnic shelters that can be reserved through the national reservation system.

Girls’ Night Out is Sept. 30

ASHLAND, Ky. — The monthly Girls Night Out program at Boyd County Public Library features the movie “Madea Goes to Jail.”

The Sept. 30 program starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Main Branch, 1740 Central Ave.

Entry to Girls Night Out is a food dish to share, or $2. All funds collected go to purchase refreshments for the program.

The movie, rated PG-13, stars Tyler Perry as mischievous grandma Madea, who lands in jail and meets a variety of mixed-up characters.

Men are welcome to attend, but the Girls Night Out program is not intended for children.