Ritchie County saw hundreds of motorcycles during the first annual Head for the Hills Festival which took place Sept. 9-11.

 

“Over 500 people attended our first festival and everyone I spoke to said they can’t wait for next year’s event,” said Connie Frederick-Williams, president of the Ritchie County Tourism & Visitors Bureau.

 

“This first year was a huge success,” said Justin Williams, who served as a co-director for the festival. “I just wish more people could have come out and enjoyed it.

 

Next year will be even better,” Williams said, explaining the festival committee is working to expand activities and acquire more vendors, both food and sales. Plus, the committee has experienced this first festival, they can better prepare for next year.

 

Motorcycle riders from as far as Michigan and North Carolina rode to Pennsboro to take part in the festival and $10,000 Double 8 Poker Tour.

 

“We had an outstanding crowd, filled with visiting veterans and motorcycle enthusiasts and locals alike,” Frederick-Williams said.

 

The RCTVB joined forces with Chapter 37-1 of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association to plan and host the festival, which featured the Memorial Ride to the Ritchie County Veterans Memorial at Cairo as well as the poker tour.

 

“Working with Ritchie tourism is a win-win for us,” said Ron Eagle, Public Affairs Officer for Chapter 37-1 of the CVMA. “Our moto is ‘Vets Helping Vets’ and we did just that.”

 

While the CVMA works to help veterans, the RCTVB works to promote tourism and visitors to Ritchie County and the surrounding area.

 

The Head for the Hills Festival fulfilled both the goals of the CVMA and RCTVB by raising funds for use as donations to veterans’ projects as well as bringing visitors to the county.

 

The Double 8 Poker Tour, for which 112 hands were dealt, saw motorcycle riders and those in four-wheeled vehicles travel around the county and surrounding area to 20 different locations.

 

“Getting these motorcycle riders, these tourists, out and about to local stores and attractions increases the flow of traffic, thereby increasing possible sales,” Frederick-Williams said. “Increased sales can lead to increased need for employees, ultimately helping secure more jobs and boost the local economy across the board.

 

“Growing tourism in the county begins with showing tourists what Ritchie County has to offer, both in natural beauty and unique outdoor adventures as well as shopping experiences.

 

“The Double 8 Poker Tour provides an excellent opportunity to not only show motorcycle riders the beauty of our home, but it also requires them to stop at least 10 of these 20 locations.”

 

For each two locations participants stop at, they earn one card. By stopping at all 20 they earn both a hand of five cards as well as five discards, increasing their odds of winning.

 

Participants were given a Ritchie County passport and each location was given a unique stamp, eliminating the opportunity for double stamping at any one location.

 

“We designed the poker tour to encourage everyone to stop at as many locations as possible, rewarding them for doing so and growing the number of people passing through the doors of participating businesses,” Frederick-Williams said.

 

With a total pot of $10,000 awarded to five winners, the poker tour is even more enticing, increasing the number of participants.

 

“You could feel the excitement as everyone turned in their passports and stood in line for the shuffle and deal,” Williams said. “As the evening advanced, people became more eager to find out who the winners were. Once we headed to the stage with the winnings, you could see everyone take a deep breath and the smiles grew bigger.”

 

Rob Pugh of Bridgeport drew fifth place, earning $500, while Matthew Johnson of Pennsboro grabbed $1,000 for fourth place.

 

“Of course, we had to name the winners from fifth to first, to drag out the excitement just a little bit longer,” said Rick Eve, CVMA WV 37-1 Chapter Commander.

 

James Ansell of Morgantown won third place, earning $1,500, and Nate Crawford of Pennsboro grabbed the $2,000 second place prize.

 

John McCullough of Greenwood had the winning hand, earning him $4,000, a three-night stay in a jacuzzi suite at Ellenboro Sleep Inn and a $350 West Virginia Gift Card to use at North Bend State Park.

 

“We wanted to surprise everyone with a special prize, that for the absolute lowest hand,” Eve said.

 

Glen Goff of Davisville earned that honor, drawing the worst hand out of everyone participating in the Double 8 Poker Tour.

 

“Glen confessed he was a little embarrassed to draw the losing hand, but we told him doing just that earned him a winners spot,” said Frederick-Williams.

He won the consolation prize of a festival t-shirt, poker chip, can koozie, kickstand pad and jacket patch.

 

“We want to thank the 20 locations, which served as our Double 8 Poker Tour Stops,” Frederick-Williams said, explaining they were located throughout Cairo, Ellenboro, Harrisville, Pennsboro and surrounding areas.

 

Poker tour stops in Pennsboro included Luna Z Eclectic, Pennsboro B&O Depot, Ritchie Tobacco Outlet and Margie’s Bar & Grill.

 

Cairo Rock Adventures, Country Trails Bikes & The Cairo Supply Company and the Cairo Bank Building were stops in Cairo, while Dodd’s Sporting Goods and The Sleep Inn & Suites were stops in Ellenboro.

 

Harrisville stops included ARLO’s Antiques & Flower Barn, Ritchie Community Pharmacy and Berdine’s 5 & Dime.

 

Additional stops within Ritchie County included Bailey Brothers at Burnt House, Barker’s Restaurant at Smithville, Lakeview Market near Harrisville, North Bend State Park near Cairo, North Bend Outfitters near Harrisville and Harper’s Farm & Country Store near Glendale.

 

Only two stops were located outside the county, and they were Ben & Hunter’s Carry Out at Cox’s Mills and S&P Harley Davidson at Williamstown.

 

“We also want to thank all of our sponsors for their contributions, without which the festival could not have been as successful,” Frederick-Williams said.

 

“We especially want to thank The Pizza Box of Pennsboro for their generous donations, which helped keep all of our musical entertainment fed,” she added.“With all the hustle throughout the weekend, they were the only vendor we failed to individually recognize with a Facebook post aimed directly at them. We cannot apologize enough to them for our oversight, and we can only hope they accept.”

 

Sponsors and their donations include Ritchie County Fairgrounds Board of Directors, the home of the Legendary Pennsboro Speedway for use of the fairgrounds; S&P Harley Davidson for $780 worth of Harley merchandise; Sleep Inn & Suites for $750 worth of discounts on rooms for band members.

 

The Pizza Box for $400 in pizza for the musical entertainment; Bridgeport Equipment and Tool for a $400 value for use of a 50K generator and light station; EpicEar Productions for hours and hours of donated time toward advertising design and promotional services; Armstrong for installing temporary Wi-Fi hot spots.

 

Huntington Bank for a $250 donation; the manager at Walgreens, Harrisville, for $200 in soft drinks and water; Harrisville Shop ‘n Save Express for $200 in meat, cheese and vegetable trays; and Ritchie Tobacco, Pennsboro for $200 in donations and ice.

Details on the 2022 Head for the Hills Festival will soon be available at www.HeadForTheHillsWV.com.

 

The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association is an association of combat veterans from all branches of the United States Military, who ride motorcycles as a hobby.  

 

To join the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, visit www.CombatVet.us.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo: Ron Eagle, Public Affairs Officer for Chapter 37-1 of the CVMA, auctions off a blue guitar featuring the signatures of every band performing at the first annual Head for the Hills Festival.

 

Second photo: Cindy Davis of Pennsboro won the 2021 Motorcycle Show at the first annual Head for the Hills Festival. Her vintage trike won her the $200 prize, of which she donated $160 back to the festival to use as donation to the Ritchie County Veterans Memorial at Cairo. The memorial is this year’s recipient of donations toward veterans needs and recognition. Bridget Wines and Rich Davenport stand in the background waiting for judges to select the winning motorcycle.

 

Third photo: The Double 8 Poker Tour winners, pictured from left to right are: Rob Pugh of Bridgeport, fifth place; Glen Goff of Davisville, overall worst hand; John McCullough of Greenwood, first place; Nate Crawford of Pennsboro, second place; James Ansell of Morgantown, third place; Allison and Leo Seese standing in for fourth place winner Matthew Johnson of Pennsboro; and Connie Frederick-Williams, president of the Ritchie County Tourism & Visitors Bureau.

 

Fourth photo: Jeff and Kelly Adams and daughter Jana, owners of the family operation The Pizza Box, LLC, were kind enough to donate pizzas throughout the festival to help keep the musical entertainment fed.

 

Fifth photo: Allison Seese stepped up during the first annual Head for the Hills Festival and answered the call for help Wednesday-Saturday, Sept. 8-9. She, along with Emilee Seese, delivered the Double 8 Poker Tour Stop signs and supplies in Cairo and Harrisville. Carole Zidek and Renee Zidek stepped up and delivered the same in Ellenboro and Pennsboro.