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Community yard sale and celebration sign of Guyandotte's comeback
Guyandotte had a community yard sale and Fourth of July celebration Saturday at the park on Main Street. A local band also provided music for the hundreds of people who looked for deals.
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GUYANDOTTE -- The Guyandotte community is starting to make a comeback.
That's the observation of several residents and folks passing through Saturday for the first Fourth of July celebration and community yard sale.
Darlene Cremeans, whose husband is president of the Native American Indian Association on Main Street, said there has been a noticeable difference in the past year.
"A lot of things have changed," said Cremeans, who grew up in Guyandotte but now lives up the road toward Lesage. "I think a lot of business owners and people here are trying to make Guyandotte what it should be."
Rick Simmons, who returned to Guyandotte in 2007 after about 20 years working out of state, has been the lead organizer for many of the cleanups, large yard sales and SwineFest. He said more people are buying into the transformation of Guyandotte into the city he remembers growing up.
"I've said it before. It's creating community unity," Simmons said. "People are saying, 'It's about time.' They are coming to us and asking us to do something."
Simmons said the community yard sale started as the sun came up just after 6 a.m. Saturday. The day included an inflatable for the kids, concessions and performances by Greg Sellards and the Stoned Country band.
There also was a baked goods auction and a donation collection for SwineFest2009, scheduled for Sept. 10-12. Simmons said it is a $20,000 undertaking, including a Sept. 11 fireworks show.
But the cost, he said, of doing nothing is even greater. So far, the investment has been working.
"Guyandotte is getting community unity, and then you see that revitalization is intact," Simmons said.
