Community Paparazzi

10/21/2025

Several new shops have popped up inside The Valley Venue & Event Center in Naugatuck, West Virginia (the old Bank of Mingo building) at the corner of US 52 and WV 65: Little Flour Baked Goods and Catering and the Scripture Closet Christian Clothing and Gift Shop (they do not seem to have a page but do have a Facebook Group, but I can't tag it because I'm not a member).

Another business — The Hope and Faith Boutique (another Group, not a page) — has been there for about two years, but the other two just opened Sept. 2. Also in this shopping mall of sorts is an insurance office downstairs and an event venue upstairs.

I just learned about this place today as I was coming home from a meeting for the day job around the corner. I stopped in to check things out.

I went home with some chicken salad from the bakery for my lunches plus some baked goodies to share with my coworkers tomorrow when I get back to the office. I might share some of the sweet treats with Eddie if he wants any.

The Christian store has these way cute Bible tassels (I think she said they were handmade?) with 66 ribbons, one for each book of the Old and New Testaments.

And if you need something blingy, Hope & Faith has you covered.

Be sure to take a selfie at one of the decorated stations. I don’t see where they have a designated hashtag yet, so Ima start one: . If you don’t like it, suggest a new one in the comments below.

The Valley Venue & Event Center has a Google Maps address of 27 Route 65, Williamson WV 25661. This is one of those places where Google hasn't caught up with the rural community yet.

10/19/2025

Healthy and delicious Mediterranean food from Gyr-OH Greek and Turkish Street Food, 1102 Jackson Pike in Gallipolis, Ohio. Eddie and I both really enjoyed our meals. I got the chicken pita and he got the steak pita. The meat was super tender and flavorful. All the ingredients were fresh. Cute decor. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices.

10/18/2025

Beautiful autumn Saturday afternoon—perfect for caramel apple slushies and wood fired pizza at Merry Family Winery in Bidwell, Ohio.

The slushies are made with both their Sweet Granny Smith and Liberty Apple Wines.

Eddie got a Mountain Dew (his signature drink) since he’s driving but I got a slushie and a flight of the Mothman Legend, Homestead Red, and Zinfully Merry. All three were Gwen-worthy, which is saying a lot since my palate is still acclimated to Amador County Zinfandels. I have a hard time finding wines I like out here.

I went home a Mothman Legend (the last bottle with the old label) for me and a Zinfully Merry for Eddie. Hes not much of a drinker, but if he ever wants to join me with a glass on the back porch, he likes white Zinfandel.

I thoroughly enjoyed my slushie and wine flight, and we both liked the Hawaiian pizza.

Merry Family Winery is located at 2376 OH-850 in Bidwell, Ohio, down the road from Gallipolis.



Photo credit: Gwen Clayton

10/14/2025

Sometimes simple food tastes so good. Case in point: I ordered a grilled chicken salad tonight from Callihan's American Pub & Grill in Ironton. Nothing fancy, just chicken, iceberg lettuce, croutons, cherry tomatoes, carrots, sliced cucumbers, and shredded cheddar. But it also had a dusting of Parmesan cheese and a freshly baked breadstick. The whole thing tasted so good. It really hit the spot.

Eddie got a burger and fries, paired with his beloved Mountain Dew. He really enjoyed his meal too.

Super nice waitress (I didn’t get her name) who took good care of us. Afterward, co-owner Sarah Callihan stopped by to introduce herself and make sure we enjoyed our meal.

10/14/2025

This makes me so sad! 😭 I loved their Get Pickled burger. I hope Tyler and Brenna get back on their feet soon.

Today was our last day on 3rd Ave y'all.

Thank you all for an awesome 5 years.
Unfortunately the time has come to go back to the drawing board.

Should we do a smaller spot or go back to the truck?

Either way it'll be a bit I have to grind and dig out of the hole that this building has caused. With a leaking roof, and a list of other issues I can't keep the upkeep and pay $4500 a month anymore. I'm sorry y'all. This has been an extremely hard decision.

Truckin’ Cheesy has always been about heart, hustle, and good food that brings people together — and that spirit isn’t going anywhere.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported us, shared our posts, ordered from us, or just believed in us. You’ve kept us going through everything.

So no… this isn’t goodbye.
It’s just the end of one chapter — and the start of something new.

I love you all for real. We'll keep in touch.
🙏 Pray for our little family as we adjust.

❤️ — Tyler & Brenna

10/14/2025

If anyone is looking for something fun and creative to do, I highly recommend taking painting lessons from Patti Del Checcolo at The Master's Touch Gallery in SoAsh.

You can take weekly, ongoing lessons or just a one-time workshop. Individual and group lessons are available. Eddie and I went last night and learned how to paint a tropical beach scene with oil paints. Neither one of us are artists. We just did it for fun. This was our first time using oil paints.

We are going to give our paintings away as Christmas gifts to our family members.

Patti’s original paintings and prints are also available for sale, and she can do commission work, like family and pet portraits, as well. She does beautiful work. I own two of her originals.

The Master’s Touch Gallery is located at 3613 Blackburn Avenue in Ashland, Kentucky.

10/12/2025

Eddie and I had a great time today during Heron Fest at Beech Fork State Park. Live entertainment, historical reenactors, craft booths, and tractor and car show. The event was put on by Beech Fork State Park Foundation in Barboursville , West Virginia.

10/09/2025

This page started out as a way to teach small businesses and nonprofits how to market themselves on a low budget, using only their phones as cameras and old fashioned journalism techniques instead of AI to write to content. Here’s one of the lessons from last April.

10/05/2025

The whole reason for this page is to give a signal boost to small businesses and nonprofits in the local community. One way you can help is to share my posts. That gets the message seen by even more people, and it helps my page grow, giving it a signal boost of its own. The more engagement this page gets, the higher it climbs in the algorithm. The higher my page gets in the algorithm, the bigger signal boost my content gets. And my content always boosts local small businesses and nonprofits. See how that works?

Thank you for all your support.
—Gwen Clayton
Admin, Community Paparazzi

10/05/2025

When we finished with Battle Days at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, we headed over to the WV State Farm Museum for their Country Fall Festival. We bought a gallon of freshly pressed apple cider and checked out the fairgrounds.

10/04/2025

Today, Eddie and I attended Battle Days at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park. Some of the featured re-enactors included Craig Henson as Hokoleskwa (Chief Cornstalk) and Ryan Williams as Col. George Washington. Williams plays young George Washington in the 2025 film, American Miracle: Our Nation is no Accident.

10/04/2025

Caught on camera! Bartender Tasha Baker at Jerk Riley's Irish Pub & Billiards is repping Firkin Fest, a beer festival at the riverfont in Ashland, Kentucky today, Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 4 to 8 pm. The event is a production of Visit Ashland, KY.