About the Bobcast
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For example, how many people know about the new splash pad at the City Park pool, or that a new pool is in the works for Southwood Park? How many people know that the summer before COVID shut everyone down there was a large group of volunteers who spent the summer cleaning up Parkersburg’s parks? How many people even know that Parkersburg has more than two parks? Does everyone know that the city is in the process of replacing nearly century-old fire stations? Or if someone stole your bicycle but you don’t know who did it, you can go to one of the Police Substations and file a report with one of the many volunteers?
There are a lot of services that are available in our community that nobody seems to know about. We hope to help remedy all that with our (hopefully) informative and entertaining podcast. Help us be a part of the solution!
Click HERE for the current podcast.
Click HERE to send an email to our live cast.
Click HERE for our podcast archives.
About Bob
A life-long resident of Parkersburg I have been heavily involved in volunteerism my entire adult life. I have chosen to raise my children — and now my grandchildren — in Parkersburg because I love this city and its long-held family and community values, and I strive to pass on those values to my family. Having worked in the security industry for over twenty years, I have currently served as a dispatcher with the Wood/Wirt County 911 Center for 16 years and am presently the City Councilman for Parkersburg’s Third District. I have started The Bobcast because it has come to my attention that many residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley are unaware of some of the wonderful things that are happening in our area and haven’t had the opportunity to meet many of our community leaders and those who provide the many volunteer services in our area.
Some of my earlier activities have included:
- Served as a Telecommunications Technician in the US Air Force
- Cadet and Senior Member, West Virginia Wing, Civil Air Patrol
- Reserve Deputy with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office
- Director of Wood County CERT
- Search and Rescue Technician, Tyler County OEM
- Advisory Committee for the Neighborhood Youth Academy
- Electronic Search Technician, Project Lifesaver
About Rick
Having retired from actively earning a paycheck in May of 2008, I find that I now have some “free time” to engage in activities that I want to do, not that someone else tells me I need to be doing. My roots go deep in the community, my ancestors being among the first settlers of Western Virginia in the area that is now Wood County, when my 4th great-grandfather, John C. “Old Johnny” Flinn, arrived here in about 1808 and settled in the Lee Creek community. A few of my current and previous activities are listed below. As you can see, Bob and I are both into volunteerism, because we believe in “giving back” to the community. That’s why we talk about it so much on the BobCast. My semi-complete BIO is HERE and my personal website is HERE.
- Messianic Jewish Theologian/Torah Teacher at the
Center for Messianic Learning
(We try to avoid discussing religion and politics on the BobCast, so forgive me if I occasionally slip; theology has been my passion for over 50 years, and has markedly informed my worldview.) - Volunteer at the Parkersburg PD’s Park Substation
- IT Coordinator, Parkersburg/Wood County Neighborhood Watch
- Amateur Radio Operator (General), WV8DOC
- Trustee, Wood County Emergency Communications
- W5YI Volunteer Examiner for Amateur Radio
- Member, SIRN Regional Interoperability Committee, Region 1
- COML and AUXCOMM, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Communications Technician, Tyler County OEM
- Electronic Search Technician, Project Lifesaver
- Former Deputy Director, Wood County CERT
- Former Sergeant (Reserve) with Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office
- Everything else is on my website.
About MOV’s Picturesque History
Parkersburg’s History
Originally named Newport in the late 18th century following the American Revolutionary War, Parkersburg’s fascinating history is filled with intrigue. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, the City is rich in historical significance. The town area was laid out on land granted to Alexander Parker for his Revolutionary War service, and the area was renamed for him as Parkersburg in 1810. It was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1820, and rechartered as a city in 1860. [MORE]
Vienna’s History
Vienna began as a 5,000-acre settlement — a grant to Dr. Joseph Spencer for his services during the War for Independence. Vienna remained rich farmland up until the late 19th Century, when roads were improved and tracks for an electric railway between Parkersburg to the south, and Marietta to the north, were laid. In 1794, Dr. Spencer gave the city its name. Dr. Spencer served as an aide de camp to his father Joseph Spencer during the Revolutionary War. [MORE]
Williamstown’s History
Williamstown was named for Isaac Williams (1737–1820), who settled here in 1787. Williams had served under General Braddock (1755) as a ranger and spy and under Governor Dunmore (1774) fighting against the Shawnee. His home was on 400 acres on the Ohio River opposite the mouth of the Muskingum River, site of Marietta, Ohio, which was founded about a year after he arrived. Other local namesakes include Williams Creek and Williams District. The settlement was known as "Williamsport" to Ohio River travelers until 1822 when the present name was formalized. [MORE]
Belpre’s History
On the banks of the mighty Ohio River is a picturesque little town known as Belpre, or “Belle Prairie”. The people that settled the “Belle Prairie” Belpre area were New England farmers who had served their country during the Revolutionary War. Many had served as officers, and most were well educated. Belpre, part of the Ohio Company land purchase, was surveyed and platted in the winter of 1788-89, and was the second organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory (the land north and west of the Ohio River, 1787 Ordinance). April 11, 1789 is the accepted date as cabins were first occupied that spring. [MORE]
Marietta’s History
Established in 1788, Marietta is the oldest city in the state of Ohio, and the first official American settlement territory north and west of the Ohio River. Known as the “Riverboat Town,” it is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. Prior to American settlement, the area was inhabited by various native tribes of the Hopewell tradition, who built the Marietta Earthworks, a complex more than 1,500 years old, whose Great Mound and other major monuments were preserved by the earliest settlers in parks such as Mound Cemetery. [MORE]
For more information about communities in the Mid-Ohio Valley, go to Our Town.
About Attractions and Services in the MOV
Attractions
- The Phelps-Tavenner Research Center
- The Phelps-Tavenner House, the oldest house in Wood County, built by Col. Hugh Phelps circa 1800, is the most historic property in Wood County, relating specifically to the pioneers of the area. The Phelps-Tavenner Research Center is located at 2401 Camden Avenue, Parkersburg.
Services
- Soon to come
