Fourth of July Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Experts Advise Caution As Air Quality Changes

Though the National Weather Service has predicted a change in weather patterns dispersing visible smoke, air quality levels throughout much of West Virginia are still affected by Canadian wildfire smoke.

“We know that wildfires, unfortunately, are worse this year than they have ever been in Canada, earlier in the season, and the result of those wildfires is a lot of smoke, which is dependent on winds and other weather conditions,” said Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer at the American Lung Association.

Rizzo said high-risk groups should avoid spending time outdoors over the holiday weekend and keep their emergency medication with them.

“Everybody wants to be with their family, they want to participate in the events over the weekend,” Rizzo said. “But I think you need to be aware of the air quality. And certainly, if it’s up in the area where everybody gets affected, everybody needs to take those precautions with masks and try to minimize their exposure outside.”

Like the weather, air quality can change from hour to hour and Rizzo recommends checking AirNow.gov and the fire and smoke map before going outside

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Monongahela National Forest Prohibits Fireworks

If you are planning to celebrate July 4th at Monongahela National Forest, reconsider what you are packing. Possessing, igniting, discharging or using any kind of fireworks is prohibited on National Forest System Lands.

The Fourth of July is coming up and a great place to spend it is in Monongahela National Forest. While packing for the weekend, remember to leave your fireworks at home. While they are perfect for the holiday, possessing, igniting, discharging, or using fireworks of any kind is prohibited on national forest system lands.

“We encourage forest visitors to enjoy public fireworks displays in one of the communities in and around Monongahela National Forest.” said Aaron Kendall, fire management officer for Monongahela National Forest.

Setting off fireworks is illegal, but also hazardous and can cause injury or may start wildfires.

Law enforcement in the national park will be watching closely this Fourth of July. Fireworks will be confiscated, and users can be fined up to $5,000 or serve up to six months in prison.

Report any fire-related incidents to the Mid-Atlantic Coordination Center 24-hour dispatch at (717) 980-3230.

Sternwheel Regatta Schedule Announced

The schedule for the Sternwheel Regatta in Charleston this summer has been released, with five days of concerts, food and fun.

Mayor Amy Goodwin, alongside members of the Charleston Regatta Commission, announced the 2022 Charleston Sternwheel Regatta schedule during a press conference at Haddad Riverfront Park on Thursday.

Running from June 30 through July 4, the schedule features a beer festival, a carnival, basketball tournaments and much more.

Music will span an array of genres and include performances from Everclear to Martina McBride, and the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra

The namesake Sternwheel Boat Races will take place Sunday, July 3 at 1 p.m.

The regatta began in 1971 and grew into a 10-day festival that featured boats on the river, sternwheeler racing and plenty of music featuring national artists.

Thousands of people ventured to Charleston’s levee on the Kanawha River to celebrate its tradition and the historic boats that were a part of its history.

The regatta last took place in 2009.

For a full schedule of events, visit the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta Facebook page, facebook.com/charlestonsternwheelregatta .

Pres. G.W. Bush Visits Ripley 4th of July: July 4, 2002

On July 4, 2002, President George W. Bush delivered a 45-minute “salute to veterans” at Ripley’s annual Fourth of July ceremonies.

It was the first Independence Day following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The president used the opportunity to comment on the nation’s War on Terrorism, praised the effort of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and reassured the crowd about homeland security.

The president chose to speak in Ripley because its Independence Day celebration symbolizes the patriotism of small-town America so perfectly. The Jackson County seat claims to have the “Biggest Small Town” Fourth of July event in the nation and the oldest in West Virginia, dating back to the late 1800s. Old photos of the event show patriotic citizens decked out in their Sunday best, peering out of windows and standing on roofs to get a glimpse of the parade. By the late 1960s, the festivities were so well-known that the NBC Today Show broadcast live from Ripley on July 4.

Today, Ripley’s Fourth of July activities include live music, a grand parade, a two-mile race, a beauty pageant, a carnival, and fireworks.

W.Va. Turnpike July 4 Traffic Up More Than Two Percent

Toll workers on the West Virginia Turnpike handled more than 1 million transactions during the Fourth of July holiday period.

Traffic on the 88-mile toll road was up more than 2 percent compared to the same 11-day period in 2013.

Turnpike officials use an 11-day window to measure the holiday’s traffic because July 4 falls on a different day of the week each year.

Parkways Authority general manager Greg Barr says the heaviest traffic was on Sunday. Toll booths recorded about 164,000 transactions on Sunday.

Barr says the increase is due to several factors, including a three-day holiday weekend for many and traffic traveling to and from the Greenbrier Classic golf tournament at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.