Cherry River Parade and Festival, Richwood, WV

Hopped up early Saturday morning after the wedding to head to Richwood for the Cherry River Festival. Their parade was well-attended and fun, and their festival was great also. Thanks to Michael Rader for being such a good, good friend and for inviting me!

My brother, Tyler Markham's wedding

Friday night was my brother Tyler's wedding, so I spent the week helping cook, decorate and organize. The wedding was outdoors, so we were worried about the weather, but God cooperated and it was absolutely beautiful! Check out their wedding video (we danced down the aisle - it was a blast)! One of the people from our church said their wedding made hers look like a funeral. Am tickled to death to have a new sister, Molli Markham, and I know she and Tyler will be very happy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blQo1zDRWgo

Mannington District Fair

Headed to Mannington for their big August event, the Mannington District Fair. My previous pastor and his family have moved to Mannington Nazarene Church, so I was excited to see them and their children, Jaden and J.T. I wasn't sure what to expect, but wasn't disappointed - their fair had all the best West Virginia celebrations all have: Good food, entertainment, and of course, the friendliest people in the country!

Hatfield-McCoy Football Game, Matewan, WV

I was invited by Massey Energy to crown their queen at the annual Hatfield-McCoy Football Game at Matewan, WV, which is near Williamson, WV, if you're not familiar with Matewan. This game has been sponsored by Massey for 14 years, and the players are the best high school seniors from WV and Kentucky in the border counties there. The weather was perfect, and the game was intense - another neat tradition in West Virginia! Each of the homecoming queens from the partipating schools vie for the title of Miss Hatfield-McCoy, and I was there to crown the winner. Katelynn Colegrove was the lucky girl of the evening, and all the girls were beautiful and nice as can be.

One of the biggest treats of the night was being invited to stay at the Massey cabin. "Cabin" is a misnomer, as it's more like a country castle! We arrived there in the afternoon and were greeted by these three HUGE dogs, one of them the Beethoven dog with slobber dripping from his jowls, which he got all over mom's white pants! We didn't know whether to get out of the car or not, but when we did, they sure showed they weren't guard dogs! They were all over us.

The housekeeper showed up shortly after to let us in, and what a sweetheart she was! She had cleaned this monster place spic-n-span, stocked it with every food imaginable - talk about the royal treatment! There were five bedrooms, four baths, all spacious and comfortable, fireplaces in almost every bedroom, and two huge great rooms to relax in. There was also another cabin that had a fitness center, raquetball court, pinball machines, pool tables, etc., etc., another full kitchen. There were several "stuffed" animals around the cabin, including a rattlesnake attacking a mouse, an albino deer, and a true bearskin rug (complete with head attached) as a rug in my bedroom! I was afraid I'd get up in the night, trip over that head, get my feet caught in the teeth and go berserk - I started to put it under the bed, but I took my chances and made it through! Never wanted to leave!

WVU Children's Hospital

The WV Radio Corporation America Legion Baseball Tournament requested volunteers. I had the day off, so I decided to volunteer and was able to sing the national anthem. From there, I helped sell programs and then traveled over to the Morgantown Ruby Memorial Children’s Hospital to visit some of the children receiving care.

There were 70 some beds and almost all of them were full. I was able to talk to a few patients and take a few pictures. These children are amazing and have so much courage. I left there thinking of how much I take for granted on a daily basis. Meeting these kids was a blessing.

WOWKTV - Channel 13 Interview

10:00 was the scheduled time for the television interview with WSAZ Channel 13. The topic of conversation was my grant and partnership with Massey Energy and what I planned to do concerning the recruitment of new foster families and adoptive families out of foster care. It lasted about a half hour and you can see the selected segment on the link below.

http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=63786

Radio Interview with Clarksburg Station

This morning at 9:30, I participated in my first radio interview. Unfortunately, I had to conduct it by phone since I wasn’t in the area for a prior scheduled appearance, but it was a great experience. We talked for about a half hour on many topics – being Miss WV, future plans, Miss America, and platform. The interviewers were hilarious and we seemed to always be laughing. For my first radio interview, it went very well and was enjoyable at the same time!