(Charleston)….If you haven’t already ordered your West Virginia reunion kit, you are out of luck. The bags stuffed with all things West Virginia were gone in record time.
“This year we hit the thousand-kit mark in the middle of May,” says Courtney Sisk with the Department of Commerce. “That’s never happened before.”
This is the 4th summer the West Virginia Commerce Department has offered the reunion kits. In 2012, they gave away 800. But this year those kits are extra special. That’s because they contain Sesquicentennial items.
“In our reunion kits, we’ve offered some special 150th birthday items: t-shirts, hats, West Virginia cookie cutters, balloons, just some special things to help mark the birthday celebration,” explains Sisk.
Also in those bags are maps of the state, local magazines, post cards, bookmarks, state park brochures and travel guides.
“The idea is for people who have been away for a long time, no longer live here, may not realize all the things that go on here,” says Sisk.
The kit helps them navigate their way around the state hitting on areas and items of interest for those who are back to attend a class reunion, a family get together or a community homecoming. Sisk hopes the kit will send a strong message to former residents.
“Maybe encourage them, while they’re here for their reunion, they might want to look into coming back home to stay.”
Now if you did order a kit on line or by calling the Department of Commerce before they ran out, you can pick those up at local convention and visitor’s bureaus or at the Department of Commerce office.