A West Virginia Day holiday with no agenda led to an impromptu walk down Main Street with my granddaughter Della. After stopping in “her” deli for a hotdog made by her Uncle Jeffrey, she asked if we could take a walk downtown.

 

I thought it was a splendid idea. I tucked a few dollars in my pocket in case we decided we needed a Dairy Queen and off we went. I showed her where I went to classes at Main Street Fitness. There were no classes going on at the time, but we peered into the windows and I showed her the spin bikes and jump ropes.

 

On we went, reminiscing about when the current G.A.L. Land building was Embellishments Too, talking about the statues that were out front and the pretty shoes, jewelry and other goodies that were for sale inside. I told her our mayor now owns it, telling her a little bit about Andy Lang and his family.

 

We approached Almost Heaven, as I told Della I sometimes stop in for coffee or a kale or cranberry walnut salad. Set up outside was a lemonade stand. Two little girls and their mom were dispensing the cold drinks, raising dollars for an orphanage in Cambodia where they sponsor a child. They were selling trail mix too. Of course, we bought some of each. I slipped inside Expressions Salon to get some singles and was greeted with a hug by the always-enthusiastic Cathy Cavallo, who said she would change my bill if I did some shopping at her baked sale, too. Judy Bonamico and staff were raising money for Lighthouse Hope Ministries.

 

As we continued west on Main, we talked about how cool it was to raise money for the causes. We passed the DQ, but with fists full of trail mix and lemonade, we decided to wait. Hot and sweaty from walking though, we slipped inside the Benedum Civic Center to cool off and to visit. Inside the office we found two smiling faces, Libby Phillips and - to my surprise - BHS alum and West Virginia Wesleyan student, Maggie Lohmann, who is there for the summer months. We told them about our walk and they told us about the Harry Potter day camp going on downstairs.

 

Of course, we had to go down and check it out. Under the direction of Brenda Smith, the decorations and activities were so creative. The day campers had just put cinnamon rolls into the oven and we smelled them all the way to the city pool, where swim lessons were going on. We talked to some people we knew, then walked the creek bank, talking about the old marble factory and how, through the years, we had found lots of marbles and chunks of colorful glass there.

 

We crossed the Bow String Bridge, watching some boys play basketball and a mom and little girl play in the sand at the volleyball court. We opted for the playground equipment at Alligator Park, doing a little climbing and sliding before stopping to rest at a little station set up with the names of planets – in all different languages. That was educational and a fun way to pass a few minutes, before we started our trek back.

 

This time, we stopped at About You Monograms, looking at all the lovely summer items. We said it was like being in a little beach boutique. We tried on hats and admired jewelry. I remembered that I had ordered Della a monogrammed pink and black bow a while back, so we picked it up. I had just enough cash left to pay for it and we took with us a little treasure and reminder of the day.

 

Across the street was The Starving Artist, another one of our favorite spots. We have both taken several paint lessons there. We felt lucky to be spending time together in this great little town. We also stopped at Country Peddler and looked at the Vera Bradley and seasonal items, candles, soaps and other pretty items. I grabbed a paper towel and we talked about how we could smell the great little gift shop all the way back to the deli, where we had parked.

 

It was Della and Mimi time. I hadn’t taken my phone, but kind of wished I had captured some pictures. I went back the next day and took some. It wasn’t exactly as it was the day before, but still very wonderful.

 

I’m proud and blessed to be a West Virginian and a Bridgeport resident. I know you will all agree.

 

See more photos taking along our Main Street corridor HERE.