By Jack Houvouras
HQ 114 | SUMMER 2021
Huntington has had its fair share of good news recently, and this edition of the magazine celebrates four big wins for the city and the entire region. These types of articles are the reason this publication was founded. Put simply, the goal of the Huntington Quarterly has always been to share the positive stories of life in Huntington, West Virginia; and this edition certainly demonstrates that.
First and foremost on the list is the national championship brought back to Huntington by the Marshall University men’s soccer team. Its victory in May marked the first NCAA Division I national title in school history. The squad shocked the college soccer world when it defeated unbeaten Fordham, No. 1-ranked Clemson, defending national champion Georgetown, No. 16-ranked North Carolina and eight-time national champion Indiana. In our article you will meet Chris Grassie, the confident and charismatic coach who, in only his fourth year at Marshall, delivered the historic win to Herd fans around the world. Most fittingly, he was rewarded with a generous new five-year contract as he and his No. 1-ranked team prepare to defend their title this fall.
Autumn will also signal the return of Thundering Herd football, and this season the team is being led by a new head coach. Charles Huff, an understudy of Alabama’s Nick Saban who is considered by many to be the greatest coach in the history of college football, was tapped by Marshall to breathe new life into the football program. As you will read in our cover story, that is exactly what he is doing. His players praise his approach to coaching and the “juice” he brings to the job every day. Insiders are confident that Huff’s Herd will return Marshall football to the kind of success it enjoyed in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
A major boost to local tourism was unveiled earlier this year when Heritage Farm Museum & Village opened its new Adventure Park. Our article on this new endeavor illustrates that those in the Tri-State seeking excitement will find it in the form of rock climbing, ziplining, aerial challenge courses, mountain biking and more. Many of the popular recreational activities found in more remote areas of West Virginia can now be enjoyed right in our own backyard. What Audy Perry and his team at Heritage Farm have built is extraordinary, and it will no doubt draw scores of visitors to the region for years to come.
Another addition to the Huntington area that will pay dividends in the future can be found at Solar Holler. In our article you will learn about the innovative solar company located in the Coalfield West Edge Factory that is “mining the sun” and providing low-cost energy solutions for homeowners, small businesses and nonprofits. To date, the company has installed more than 100 solar panel systems in Cabell and Wayne counties. And, with customers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Maryland, it has grown to become one of the largest solar companies in Central Appalachia.
No matter where you live, there is always a fair share of good news and bad news. But as for now, our region seems to be on a roll with a string of wins we can all point to with pride. It’s times like these that remind us why we choose to call Huntington home.
