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Guyandotte gets major cleanup
Guyandotte resident James Spitler dumps some trash into an end loader Saturday, September 6, 2008, at Guyandotte United Methodist Church.
Purchase this photoGUYANDOTTE -- More than 100 people from various parts of Huntington focused their attention on cleaning up Guyandotte on Saturday in anticipation of what some are calling the largest festival to hit the community.
"I've been tagging this as the biggest thing to happen (in Guyandotte) since the Civil War," said Rick Simmons, who organized the second community cleanup and spearheaded Swinefest.
Simmons, who grew up in Guyandotte, spent 20 years working in Indiana before returning in 2007. He said the community he left was not the one he returned to.
"I've watched all the change and kept up with the city online," Simmons said. "I said, 'I've got to go back and make a difference.'"
Last year, he said, Swinefest was just a small pig roast in the park along Main Street. But his vision was much bigger. The festival is scheduled to start with a parade Wednesday night, with events taking place through Saturday, Sept. 13.
The cleanup, Simmons said, is part of getting ready. Groups from Huntington High School and Marshall University picked up trash, while others helped finish clearing the fields underneath the 31st Street Bridge for carnival rides and parking. Main Street will be closed down, and he expects vendors to line both sides of the street from 3rd to 5th avenues.
Sue Lewis and Ronald Deal, members of Guyandotte United Methodist Church, spent the morning sweeping the street along the church, which sits at the intersection of Main Street and 5th Avenue. Deal said he grew up in Guyandotte, and although he doesn't live there now, he still considers it home.
"I'm hoping to get it back to what I remember," Deal said.
That, too, is what Simmons wants to see happen. He said the community has a reputation as crime-riddled and trashy. But he sees no reason why that can't change.
"It's pride," he said. "We have got to restore the pride."
Rocky Frazier, who has helped Simmons prepare for Swinefest, said he's trying to spread the message of "community unity."
"Our vision has never lagged," Frazier said.
Charlie Smoot, who is the commander of the 9738 VFW Post in Guyandotte, said he's behind anything that means a better community. Picking up trash and holding events like Swinefest is a good start, he said.
"This is going to start picking Huntington back up," Smoot said. "We're taking the community back. We're putting the criminals on notice -- it's time to go."
