As the month of December gets
underway, West Virginians across the state are
starting to get into the holiday spirit.
At the State Capitol, the annual
Joyful Night event ushered in the season with tree lighting ceremonies,
performances from bands and choirs from schools across the state and a reading
of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and First
Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin.
The two encouraged West Virginians to have a charitable attitude during the
holidays by donating to the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots campaign.
“We have a lot to be thankful for,
for our people in West Virginia
Teachers across the state were
honored with a recognition of the Teacher of the Year from Wheeling Park Gail
Adams and a tree inside under the dome.
The event also made a stop in the
governor’s reception room to honor military members and first responders with
the trees that were decorated with pictures in their recognition last week.
“We just want to really keep those
on active duty who are scattered all around the world in our prayers and do
what we can for their families during this holiday season,” Tomblin said.
In Huntington ,
Marshall
On Tuesday night, the first “Herd
Holiday” lit up the night sky with cheer, both figuratively and literally.
“Our Student Activities Board
thought it would be a wonderful gesture to light the plaza at the student
center to ring in the start of the holiday season here at Marshall
After Mrs. Kopp flipped a switch to
turn on the green and white lights around the Memorial Student
Center Plaza
Even though it was the first year
for the event, Kopp was pleased with how students and the community both turned
out.
“Anytime you do something the first
time, you’re attendance isn’t all that great but I thought it was outstanding,”
he said. “It’s the first night. The weather’s not the greatest, although I
would have loved to have some snow tonight. That would have really set things
off very nicely.”
He said he hopes the event can
become a yearly tradition.
