In Around West Virginia: Tamarack celebrates 20 years, a 9-year-old boy contributes to the Schools for the Deaf and Blind, Fort New Salem buildings undergo reconstruction, and more.
n Tamarack celebrated 20 years, as well as West Virginia's 153rd birthday, on Monday. Tamarack Retail Director Deaner Williams has been at Tamarack since it opened, according to The Register-Herald.
"There have been people who have come and gone," Williams said. "But Tamarack has forged many lifelong friendships between many of the artists, customers and employees."
n A 9-year-old Jefferson County boy has donated thousands of dollars worth of items, including mittens, gloves, hats, bibs and more, to the students of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Romney. The Journal reports that Landon Dunham came up with the idea after his grandmother, Jenni Tabb, took a class on teaching special needs students.
"He wanted to," Tabb said. "He said, 'what can we do?' So I gave him the options of what we could do. He has (exceeded) my goals for sure. Originally our goal this year was $2,000 and right now he has raised over $3,500."
n Fort New Salem, a living history outdoor museum representing nineteenth century North Central Western Virginia/West Virginia, is reconstructing two buildings, The Exponent Telegram reports. The Block House, a replica of a "safe house" for settlers when they needed to protect themselves from intruders, will be dismantled, moved thirty feet and reconstructed. The Reynolds House, a two-story log structure, will serve as the visitors' center and gift shop when reconstruction is completed. The Fort New Salem Foundation still needs to raise about $50,000 to complete the project.
n A reporter with the Princeton Times spoke to Matthew Kinzer, a Princeton teen who is an honor student, an Eagle Scout and happens to have pseudoachondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Matthew has never let his height keep him from achieving his goals. He holds the push-up and pull-up records at Princeton Senior High School. However, he has experienced more challenges than the average teenager, including having to undergo painful surgeries. Matthew said he wanted to let people know that it's hurtful when they use words like "midget." He also said "I want people to know that we can do anything you can do, if you lift us up!"
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.