The Charleston CVB has announced SportsFEST 2010 will be held August 19-22 at Magic Island, Kanawha River and Kanawha Boulevard at Haddad Park.  SportsFEST will include 2010 Toyota Governor’s Cup Nationals Watercraft Races, 2010 EVP Pro Am Beach Championship and 2010 Firefighter Combat Challenge.

“These events had a combined Economic Impact to Charleston of $2.1 million  in 2009 and Charleston is pleased to have the opportunity to bring them back.  These were great events for the participants and great fun for the community to watch,” said Charleston Mayor Danny Jones.

The CVB has reached agreements with On Target Challenge (Firefighters Combat Challenge), Upstate Watercraft Promotions (Toyota Governor’s Cup Jet Ski Competition) and Extreme Volleyball Professionals to hold these events in Charleston WV for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The EVP Tour and Jet Ski races were filmed for the Beach Sports Network and Charleston CVB will host the Charleston Preview of these shows tonight in the Civic Center VIP Lounge from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

Charleston WV has been featured or is scheduled to be featured on four shows:

• ESPN – World’s Strongest Man|
• Beach Sports Network – EVP Tour and Toyota Governor’s Cup
• Catfishing in America
• The Learning Channel – World’s Chili Cookoff

“There is a great deal of planning that goes into these events.  Knowing that we are planning for 3 years will make it easier to locate vendors, sponsors, and entertainment. said CVB President / CEO Patty Pitrolo.  The CVB is hoping to establish a list of vendors willing to participate in our events.”

This is what the stone wall at Gateway Greenspace will look like. This is a building at Oglebay Park near Wheeling.

Workers should begin placing the stone on the wall in mid-November.

Please mark your calendar for West Virginia’s original legislative breakfast — Issues & Eggs – to be held Wednesday, January 13 at the Charleston Marriott Town Center.  

Join the Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce in its 50+ year tradition of bringing lawmakers and business and community leaders face to face to discuss the issues that will shape our state’s future.  

Issues & Eggs, the largest and first legislative breakfast in the state, draws a sell-out crowd. Last year, more the 75 legislators and 250 business leaders attended.
 
“ In 2009, we had so many legislators from around the state attend this event, I joked with the Speaker of the House that we could have held a session of the  legislature at the Marriott that morning,” said Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce President Matt Ballard. 

“ We look forward to seeing everyone at this highly-anticipated event once again.  Enjoy breakfast  and share views with senators and delegates and help us launch the legislative session,” said Ballard.  

Watch for upcoming announcements regarding ticket sales. 

Click here to download the event’s flyer, which includes sponsorship opportunities.

The Charleston Area Alliance regrets that the current exploration of metro government as a means of unifying government services in Kanawha County likely will be suspended.  

“Metro government is a way for citizens and communities to work together to meet the common challenges we face,” said Alliance President and CEO Matt Ballard.            

“We still believe metro government has the potential for giving more county residents a voice in their government, strengthening essential services, enhancing government effectiveness and saving taxpayers money.”  

The Alliance and its affiliate, the Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce, have partnered with city and county officials for several years to create a public dialogue and educate the citizenry on the potential benefits of government consolidation. 

“Our Chamber supported the legislation to allow citizens to vote and have the option,” Ballard said. “The Alliance partnered with the city and county to bring in Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and former Louisville Deputy Mayor Joan Riehm, and we attended the county’s metro-education missions and hosted public forums. 

“Helping government serve citizens more effectively and efficiently has always been a priority for the Alliance,” added Ballard.   

However, metro government cannot be imposed by fiat, Ballard noted.  

“It is up to the people of our state, counties and cities to decide how they should be governed,” he said. “More time is needed to educate the public on what positive changes government consolidation can mean for our region. As one veteran political consultant who successfully ran the Louisville, Ky., voter referendum told us, ‘This is the most complicated conversation you will ever have with the electorate.’ 

“We commend Senator Brooks McCabe for his tireless efforts to improve our region through metro government and commit to continue to work with him and other leaders on measures to improve government services and unify our region,” Ballard continued. “Considering today’s economic conditions and a stagnant population in our entire state, if we do not consolidate some governmental units in West Virginia, the people will end up paying higher taxes. It’s as simple to understand as two plus two.”