Easter Season in the MOV

By Sydney Maston

Spring is in the air, well, when the weather wants to cooperate and Easter is quickly approaching. Easter is known as a “moveable feast day,” meaning that unlike most holidays it doesn’t take place on the same day every year. However, it is always observed on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. This year, Easter was celebrated on April 17.

In the Mid-Ohio Valley there are several things to do on Easter Sunday such as egg hunts, parades, and dinners. Somewhat new to the Parkersburg area is the Mid-Ohio Valley Easter Parade. This year’s parade was held on Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. in downtown Parkersburg with the theme being “Easter in July.” While Parkersburg is the only area with a known Easter parade, there are several surrounding counties hosting egg hunts. Before the MOV Easter parade there was an egg hunt titled “The Ultimate Easter Egg Hunt” at Parkersburg High School on the lawn, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 16 at noon, St. Marys Elks Lodge #1701 hosted a hunt at the Pleasants County Park and on Sunday, April 17 at 2 p.m. the annual Easter Egg Hunt at North Bend State Park was held in Ritchie County. 

There are several restaurants and local businesses in the area that will be providing Easter dinner for those in need or who just want a stress-free Easter. Just a few, for example, Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, and The HoneyBaked Ham Co. have meals available on their websites for pre-order. This year, The Blennerhassett Hotel is hosting brunch with The Easter Bunny as well as a special holiday dinner catered buffet-style. Cheryl’s Country Diner also serves a tavern ham that is available for pre-order for takeout or delivery. Here at WVU Parkersburg, a free Easter meal cooking demo took place on Facebook Live hosted by Chef Steve Roberts. Students learned how to make Shepherd’s Pie and signed up to reserve their own free meal box to cook on their own at home.