January
2025 Shanghai Parade held on New Year’s Day in downtown Lewisburg; the Volunteer of the Year for Lewisburg is awarded to the Lewisburg Foundation, who was represented in the Shanghai Parade on Jan. 1 by Foundation President Tag Galyean and his wife Annabelle Galyean, Treasurer; newly and re-elected officials sworn into office to start their new term: incumbent Joe Darnell, Assessor; incumbent Tammy Tincher, County Commissioner; Bart Baker, Sheriff; and Nicole Graybeal, Prosecutor; Penny Pitch raises $54,945 for local families; environmental groups sue South Fork Coal Company, alleging the company repeatedly violated federal law in Greenbrier County by continuing to discharge pollutants into nearby waterways at levels exceeding legal limits; Ronceverte City Council approves a motion regarding the demolition of 200 Academy Street, the former elementary school; Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation celebrates 25 years and surpasses $23 million in funds; the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration is held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Wellspring announces their Hearts to Tables campaign – a monthly recurring donation opportunity to help feed our community; Hill & Holler, one of Lewisburg’s favorite restaurants, is set to return soon; The Friends of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (FNRGNPP) joins Crime Stoppers of West Virginia to provide a cash reward for information that results in solving the crime that occurred on either the evening of Dec. 20 or the morning of Dec. 21 when one of the park’s most popular areas, the Long Point Trail, was vandalized by spray paint; the Robert C. Byrd Clinic (RCBC) announces the launch of the S.H.I.N.E. program (Sober Health Initiative-Elevate), a rural community health initiative designed to increase access to life-saving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and comprehensive support for individuals battling Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), or Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD);
February
Tickets go on sale for the Chocolate Festival set for Saturday, Apr. 12, in downtown Lewisburg; Lewisburg Winter Music Festival organizers report just over $29,000 was raised by festival-goers to help support musicians in crisis and help foster music education in the region; Greenbrier Valley Airport announces a landmark partnership with Marshall University’s Division of Aviation to establish a new satellite flight school at the airport; the United State Forest Service (USFS) convened a meeting with local stakeholders at the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory (HRRO) and announced the engineering study determined that the structure must be rebuilt… and the USFS cannot foot the bill for it; the New River Conservancy hosts its first ever “Hellbender Adopt-a-thon” to benefit the New River. The Valentine’s gift is a crocheted hellbender, handmade in Ashe County, NC, available to adopt for a donation of $50, 100 percent of which will go towards the Bob West Water Watcher Scholarship Fund; Empty Bowls 2025 is held on Feb. 27 at The Clingman Center in downtown Lewisburg, bringing together local restaurants and artists to support The United Way and their 32 Partner Agencies serving people in-need, within Greenbrier Valley; Amanda and Gale Reed purchase “The Lot” in Rainelle and launch ‘DirtyPop’ – featuring almost 40 specialty drinks on the menu; the 2025 West Virginia Vacation Guide, the state’s official travel magazine, is released; McDowell County continues recovery efforts after catastrophic flooding, Lewisburg business accepting flood-relief donations; Greenbrier County Commission holds meeting on proposed amendments to E911 Ordinance; Union leaders advocate for public employees, ask legislatures to stabilize PEIA;
March
There candidates file to run for three City Council positions: Franklin Johnson, Valerie Pritt, and Arron Seams; renovations to the Greenbrier County Courthouse near completion, and now the Greenbrier County Magistrate Court and Family Court are relocated to their new offices in the updated courthouse; tickets for the Chocolate Festival go on sale; members of the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the report of a deceased person in the Greenbrier River about a quarter of mile south of where Second Creek spills into the river. The victim was identified as Shawn Carter, a 43-year-old male from the Union area of Monroe County; a Beckley man is facing criminal charges after allegedly making multiple harassing and threatening phone calls to Lewisburg City Hall, including threats of violence against government employees and former Mayor John Manchester, who passed away earlier this year; the Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the east coast returns to downtown Lewisburg on St. Patrick’s Day, Mar. 17; the Greenbrier County Board of Education votes to grant Superintendent Jeff Bryant permission to enter a lease-to-purchase agreement with the State Fair of West Virginia valued at $4.3 million for a new administrative office; Mary Montgomery Lindquist, nominated by the Greenbrier Historical Society, is acknowledged as a History Hero; The Old Red Mill Taphouse & Grille opens in Lewisburg; Ronald Ray McMillion, 73, of Renick is sentenced to eight years in prison for illegal firearm possession; the Greenbrier County Commission proposes an updated E911 ordinance, which, if passed, will increase monthly fees; John Hirt announces plans for a men’s retail shop in Ronceverte located beside The Sportsman Tavern on Edgar Avenue – it will sell vintage motorcycles, include a repair shop in the back, and sell retail items including vintage motorcycle accessories, clothing, and activewear;
April
“Hands Off” rally held in the Green Space; First Fridays return to Lewisburg; Alderson, Ronceverte, and Frankford qualify to attend State Archery Nationals; the Chocolate Festival is held Apr. 12; Courthouse Farmers Market returns; CSX agrees to give train depot to City of Ronceverte; the WV House of Delegates signs off on legislation that would require municipalities to hold their elections on the same day as state elections. Delegates passed Senate Bill 50 with a vote of 96 to 2; Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company hosts its second annual Picklefest; Gateway Industries announces Mini Golf set to return to Ronceverte Island Park this August; Williamsburg Community Action launches former school renovation and revitalization project; the Trump administration announces plans to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply before the end of next year. Gov. Morrisey recently signed legislation banning a list of colorful artificial food dyes in West Virginia school meals this year; more than 80 West Virginians gather at the Clingman Center in Lewisburg to hear from a panel of eight farmers and food supply and agricultural related representatives about the current crisis caused by the withdrawal of federal funding for numerous farm and food supply projects across West Virginia; the newest Greenbrier County Magistrate Shana Hamrick took her oath of office. She will fill Magistrate Tim Stover’s seat until the next election, which will be held in 2026; at an Arbor Day Event at Lewisburg Elementary School, Lewisburg Mayor Beverly White read “The Giving Tree” to Pre-K students, along with an Arbor Day Proclamation and a tree planting event; officials, former students, stakeholders and residents come together to cut the ceremonial ribbon on the Meadow River Valley’s newest addition – The Rupert School Apartments; annual Ronceverte Food Truck Festival returns to downtown Ronceverte; Lewisburg Police and CAMC Greenbrier Valley partner to start K9 explosive detection program; human remains identified as Audie (AJ) Carl Sloan, Jr., missing from Greenbrier County; annual Spring Giant Flea Market and Antique Sale is held at the State Fairgrounds; Greenbrier Valley Theatre welcomes Courtney Susman-Frye as new Producing Artistic Director; locals earn medical degrees from WVSOM: Abigail Brown, D.O., and Jaelynn Parks, D.O., both graduate from WVSOM with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree on May 2; the Greenbrier Historical Society announces its biennial Home and History Tour Weekend for 2025;
June
America in Bloom judges arrive in Lewisburg for a two-day tour of the city’s parks, gardens, historic landmarks, and civic projects, as part of the national beautification and community enhancement program; early voting begins for the municipal elections; the West Virginia Renaissance Festival opens its gates June 7, for a month of medieval merriment in Lewisburg; West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition launches Trey Yates Legacy Fund; Matthew Sloan, D.O., graduates from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree; Mayor Deena Pack is elected to a second term by Ronceverte voters; the City of White Sulphur Springs announces that the City Pool is now heated; USA TODAY 10 BEST officially ranks the Greenbrier River as the number one river for tubing in the United States for 2025; Greenbrier County Commissioner Tammy Tincher is awarded the Commissioner of the Year Award by the County Commissioners Association of West Virginia; union employees at The Greenbrier agree to a new two-year contract with hotel ownership; Lewisburg City Council updates parking violation fines, installs Wayfinding Kiosk at City Hall; the Hemmings Great Race, presented by Coker Tire, a nine-day classic car rally stops on Washington Street in downtown Lewisburg on June 27; on Flag Day and the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, more than 600 residents of Greenbrier and surrounding counties gathered in the Green Space in Lewisburg for a “No Kings” demonstration;
July
White Sulphur City Council hears reports of “a number of dogs” running at-large in the City. “We need to amend our ordinance on viscous dogs and dogs running at-large before someone gets hurt. Councilmember Thomas Taylor said “These dogs, you can’t deal with them, you can’t break them up, you can’t get them off of another dog. We have a vicious dog ordinance, and we have a leash law in this city. We need to get with our city attorney to look at and amend these ordinances to protect our citizens.” He added that “this has to stop” before “something devastating happens.”; Blueberry season is peaking at several locations in Greenbrier County; Lewisburg Wal-Mart hosts its annual Children’s Miracle Network Car Show in support of WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in Morgantown; a sheep found in the vicinity of Mountain View Road in Gap Mills tests positive for rabies; local boy, Ridge Crowe, from Lewisburg makes it into the quarter-finals for the 2025 Junior Ranger competition with the National Wildlife Federation; Island Park Flea Market officially launches on July 5, running from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market will be held every Tuesday and Saturday at Island Park (weather permitting), just below the amphitheater near Mulligan’s; Ronceverte City Council swear-in new council members Emilee White and Matt Bergman by Mayor Deena Pack; a new fundraiser called “Queen of Hearts” is introduced as a benefit for Gateway Industries; Lewisburg City Manager announces Monday Mashup featuring food trucks on Church Street will soon be starting in downtown Lewisburg; the Lewisburg Police Department was awarded a $6,000 Local Economic Development Assistance Grant by the West Virginia Senate to purchase and train an explosive detection and tracking K-9 unit; organizers with Penny Pitch announce that unfortunately the 501c3 will be dissolved. “For the past two years, we have not met our fundraising goals and have struggled to meet the needs of the people who apply for help. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue Penny Pitch and dissolve our 501(c)(3)”; after four decades of dedicated service to Greenbrier County and the surrounding areas, Fritz’s Pharmacy has announces they will officially close their doors on Thursday, July 31; a program that has successfully brought daily air travel to rural West Virginia for more than 40 years faces an uncertain future following the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill in Congress earlier this month;
August
Woman killed in hit-and-run identified as Miranda Gray, 24, of Charmco; WVSOM hosts Bio Event and Groundbreaking for the $35 million expansion of WVSOM’s Fredric W. Smith Science Building and an economic forum; the State Fair of West Virginia celebrates its 100th anniversary Aug. 7-16; the Greenbrier County Commission holds an open house to discuss the 2025 Greenbrier County Comprehensive Plan; a radio cooperative serving Pocahontas County in West Virginia and two neighboring Virginia communities expects to lose more than half its annual budget after Congress passed a bill rescinding $1.1 billion previously approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Greenbrier Community School holds an open house and ribbon cutting; nearly a decade after the deadly 2016 floods, West Virginia officials move forward with a study to look at flood mitigation measures across the Kanawha River Basin; the West Virginia Municipal League (WVML) announces Misty Hill, City Manager of Lewisburg, as the recipient of the 2025 Tom Oxley Heart of the Community Award; Old School Brewing holds a ribbon-cutting event in downtown White Sulphur Springs; Greenbrier Co. Commission approves $47K for wastewater plant project; on Aug. 25, a sinkhole opened up at the intersection of Court and Foster Streets in downtown Lewisburg;
September
The Friends of White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery host their annual Freshwater Folk Festival; the State Fair of West Virginia hosts the popular Giant Fall Flea Market; suspect arrested after alleged murder and assault near Ronceverte; the intersection at Court and Foster Street in Lewisburg opens to through traffic following emergency sinkhole repairs; Rainelle Medical Center celebrates the opening of a new behavioral health center, RMC Lewisburg Behavioral Health Center; Hollowell Dawkins Foundation marks 50 years, Carson retires as Board President; a WSS City Council proclamation dedicating the shelter at Rotary Park as the “Kara Berry Memorial Shelter”; the Lewisburg Winter Music Festival awards $3,000 to local nonprofit Music Matters; Lewisburg City Council votes to purchase Renick water system; Karl Myers of White Sulphur Springs is arrested for the offense of the exhibition of child pornography. Jenna Hundley was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a felony; Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation reports seven new funds, thousands in scholarships; NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner is held at the Clingman Center in Lewisburg with guest speaker James E. Griffin; White Sulphur Springs Mayor Thomas Taylor called an emergency city council meeting citing financial concerns. Citing “excessive spending,” Taylor said city funds had been depleted on items which had not been approved by the city council. Mayor Taylor institutes a spending and hiring freeze;
October
U.S. Department of Transportation officially selects SkyWest Airlines to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB). SkyWest Airlines will operate American Eagle flights for a four-year term, with the first flights expected to begin in early 2026; at the 2025 America in Bloom Symposium and awards ceremony the City of Lewisburg is recognized for “Overall Impression”; annual TOOT celebration is held in downtown Lewisburg; ground-breaking is held on the WSS Greenbrier Valley Family Activity Center; a No Kings Rally is held in the Green Space in Lewisburg; Mountain Messenger wins multiple West Virginia Press Association awards; Greenbrier East High School Spartan Marching Band attends the Eagles Nest Invitational competition and is named Grand Champions; Mayor Thomas Taylor presents a detailed report on the financial status of White Sulphur Springs; City of Lewisburg gains SWAT Team; West Virginia has a new state record for the largest pumpkin ever recorded. The new record – a whopping 2,244.5 pounds – was set in Raleigh, NC, during the North Carolina State Fair, by Craigsville-grower Albert Rodebaugh. In addition to being the largest pumpkin ever grown in the Mountain State, Albert’s pumpkin also set a brand new site-record for the North Carolina State Fair;
November
Upcoming Lewisburg dog park will be located behind the old Lewisburg Public Works buildings on Feamster Road, adjacent to the ball fields of Dorie Miller; Greenbrier County Commissioner Tammy Tincher announces that she has accepted a position with the National Association of Counties (NACo ), and will be resigning her position as commissioner, a role she has filled since her initial election in 2018; the PGA of America Tri-State Chapter announces last that Hill Herrick, Director of Golf at The Greenbrier, has been inducted into the Tri-State PGA Hall of Fame Class of 2025; approximately 100 people attend the groundbreaking for the Greenbrier Valley Family Activity Center located just north of Food Lion on Route 92 in White Sulphur Springs; in response to federal policy changes local hospitals bracing for the financial impacts and taking preemptive action to stave off closure announce Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Fairlea is reorganizing to become a “Critical Access Hospital.” They will also cease labor and delivery services to women; the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place at the Green Space in downtown Lewisburg kicking off the “Magic of Christmas” in Lewisburg; the City of Lewisburg and the State Fair of West Virginia announce that the annual holiday light display, “Christmas at the Fair” will be held at Dorie Miller Park located at 401 Feamster Road; Winterplace Ski Resort announces the completion of its two-year, $2 million capital investment, marking another milestone in the resort’s long-standing commitment to providing exceptional snow quality, slope conditions, and year-round sustainability; Downtown Lewisburg prepares for the holiday season with the launch of “The Magic of Christmas,” running from Nov. 21 through Dec. 24; former County Commissioner Woody Hanna was presented to serve as Commissioner for the remainder of Tammy Tincher’s term; Governor Patrick Morrisey invites the public to a listening session in Lewisburg to address rural health care; Lewisburg dentist Dr. Roger Holliday celebrates 30 years of operating his local dental practice;
December
A Greenbrier County Circuit Court judge rules in favor of the City of Ronceverte and the Ronceverte Parks and Recreation Commission, granting summary judgment and quieting title to the Island Park Roller Rink, which had been recently used by the American Heritage Music Hall (AHMH), in favor of the municipality; Saturday, on Dec. 14, it is discovered that a pipe had burst at Lewisburg Elementary School (LES) and affected the school library, computer lab, and several other areas; Dec. 13, downtown Lewisburg hosts Girl’s Day Out; the finance board for the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency approves 3% rate increases for employees, employers and retirees during the 2027 fiscal year, which starts in July 2026; the lineup of bands for the Lewisburg Winter Music Festival, set for Jan. 30 and 31, 2026, is released; the Greenbrier River Trail (GRT) plans a significant bridge redecking project over the next two years scheduled to begin in mid-January 2026 on the southern end of the Trail at Caldwell.
