The Annual William H. Norton Memorial Day Parade and Car Show will be held this Saturday, May 26 in Paw Paw.
The car show, held at Paw Paw Schools, begins at 9 a.m. and continues to 3 p.m.
There will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Woodrow Cemetery at 10 a.m. and a program at the Paw Paw Veterans Memorial in town at 11 a.m.
Line-up for the parade begins at noon at the House of Jacob Church. The parade, featuring area emergency units, local floats and honor guard, begins at 1 p.m. and follows Winchester Street toward the Bank of Romney.
The Grand Marshals for the parade this year are the Paw Paw Lions Club and LEO Club.
The Honorary Grand Marshal are the Paw Paw Pirates Basketball team which won the 2018 WVHT Championship.
The Paw Paw Volunteer Fire Company will also honor the late Louis Herrell for his long dedication to the fire and rescue service and volunteer work on a wide number of county and state boards.
Lions and Leo Club The Paw Paw Lions Club will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary in 2020 and has 19 members.
The Leo Club has nine members, ages ranging from 14-18.
Both clubs volunteer throughout our community and raise funds to better our town and school.
The Paw Paw Lions Club participates in Adopt-A-Highway, picking up litter along Rt. 9 from the Potomac River Bridge to Magnolia Road up to three times a year. They also distribute food baskets to needy families in the area at Christmas and co-sponsor blood drives with the Paw Paw Schools’ Student Council. They are responsible for the lighted flag pole at Camp Hill Cemetery and the “Welcome Signs” at each end of town in Paw Paw. The Lions Club also provides a scholarship to Paw Paw High School seniors. The Leo Club is a high school arm of the Lions Club.
They are responsible for the flags at the school and picking up litter on Winchester Street and school grounds up to two times a year.
This year the Leo Club painted the dugouts at the Paw Paw Park for the Paw Paw Youth League with the help of the National Honor Society. Their future projects include maintenance to the basketball court at Paw Paw Schools including replacing the rims and nets as well as painting the high school baseball dugouts.
If interested in joining the Paw Paw Lions Club, contact Jennifer Moreland at 304-947-7095 and for the Leo Club, contact Jeff Palmer 304-947-7425.
Honorary Grand Marshals
Paw Paw Schools is approximately the fifth smallest school within the State of West Virginia. However, with the gymnasium nearing a capacity crowd on most nights of home games, the relatively quiet town of Paw Paw comes alive.
Often times the parking lots are filled with locals eager to come inside and watch the boys’ basketball team battle for victories. The boys had a fantastic regular season which consisted of victories over both Moorefield and East Hardy, along with finishing the season with a 17-9 record.
Fortunately, these were not the only highlights of the teams wins. The Paw Paw Pirates also became the Champions of the 2017-2018 West Virginia Hometown Invitational Tournaments which awarded the team with a banner, trophy, and great memories for the kids that took part in the team.
With the conclusion of the regular season, the Pirates kept their great year going by winning two of three sectional games providing them the opportunity to play at regionals in which the Pirates lost a tough road game to end the season. Not only did the Pirates have a monumental season, but the boys offered a team that gave much enjoyment to the community.
Honoring Herrell
Over the past few years, during the annual Paw Paw Memorial Day Parade, the Paw Paw Volunteer Fire Company has honored lifetime members for their years of service.
This year we will be honoring the late Louis E. Herrell for his many, 50+, years of hard work and dedication to the department. He worked hard during his time in the department, not only as an EMT/Paramedic and firefighter but also to make sure that everything was up to standards, whether it be on the administration side or the front line.
He would travel several times a year to many different places in the state to gain more knowledge on what needed to happen and how it was to happen. While in the department, he serviced as Secretary for more than 30 years until handing down to his predecessor in 1999. After that, he remained on the Board of Directors and took over the Treasurer position in 2008, holding those positions until the time of his death on January 8.
Through the years not only was he a member of the Paw Paw Fire Company but he was also well known throughout the county and state. He was one of the founding members of the WV State Emergency Medical System.
He was on the Morgan County Fire Board and the Emergency Services Board of Morgan County as well as the Deputy Sheriffs Civil Service Commission. He was also a member of the WV Fireman’s Association and served as a Director of the NEREMS.
He was also a member of many foundations and associations particularly involving hunting.
The stories of him could go on by so many friends, family, and colleagues. The Paw Paw Volunteer Fire Company will honor him for all his hard work and dedication to the company, and his wife Shirley Herrell for the time she let us have with him.
