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Culture

The Lawrence County, Ohio area offers the social and cultural amenities of a large city -- superb restaurants and shopping, 13 museums and theaters and a variety of cultural festivals. Residents also enjoy unequaled outdoor recreation on the Ohio River and in the Wayne National Forest and Vesuvius Recreation Area -- one of the largest national forests east of the Mississippi River.

Attractions & Recreation

The Paramount Arts Center is a historic theater located in Ashland, Kentucky. Listed as the Paramount Theatre on the National Register of Historic Places, this theater is an important part of the arts in Kentucky. When the Paramount first opened its doors on September 5th, 1931 it was at that time known as the Paramount Theater. Originally designed to be one of the first transitional theatres built for "talking pictures" it was to be a model theatre for others around the country to showcase films produced by Paramount Pictures.

Once upon a time the RO-NA theater was the place to be in downtown Ironton and it was considered one of the finest facilities of its kind in all of Ohio. Recently the RO-NA theater has undergone renovation and hosted a red carpet screening of the new CBS television series 'Extant'.

Keith-Albee is a theatre located along Fourth Avenue in downtown Huntington, West Virginia. The theater opened its doors to the public on May 8th, 1928. The theater gets its name from the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation, one of the leading vaudeville performance chains at that time. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Downtown Huntington Historic District, and is currently being restored as a performing arts center.

The Huntington Symphony has been around since the 1930's in various forms, sometimes disbanding for several years, and sometimes forming as the smaller "chamber" orchestra. Some of the musicians who were with the original Huntington Symphony Orchestra through the 1950s still play with us today.

The monument stands at the gates of the Burlington 37 Cemetery and was funded in part by individual donations and donated proceeds from a book called “The Promise Land” by Earl Pratt, an Ohio lawyer from Ironton. (The "Burlington 37" were the freed Virginia slaves who founded Burlington, Ohio in the mid-19th century.)

Relics of Lawrence County’s vigorous industrial past are scattered throughout the beautiful wooded hills of Hanging Rock Iron Region and Wayne National Forest with scale models of the furnaces located at the Ranger’s District office, State Route 93; also at Ohio University Southern Campus, Ironton, Ohio.

John Campbell, founder of Ironton, pioneer ironmaster and railroad developer, built this Early Victorian brick in 1850s. He was an active abolitionist and aided fugitive slaves by concealing them in two semi-concealed rooms under the hip roof of this home. It has 22 rooms and houses the Community Action Organization.

Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area, named for the old Vesuvius iron furnace, is the Wayne National Forest's premier developed recreation site. The 143-acre lake and 1,200-acre complex provides the perfect spot for a getaway.

Ritter Park is located in Huntington, West Virginia. It is a public park maintained by the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District. It was created in 1913 by Rufus Switzer, a city council member of West Virginia. It consists of numerous lengthy walking trails along Four Pole Creek, restroom facilities, picnic tables, shelter with grills and electrical outlets, a children's playground, amphitheater that can be used for small concerts and plays, and an award winning Rose Garden.

Camden Park is a twenty-six acre amusement park located near Huntington, West Virginia. Established in 1902 as a picnic spot by the Camden Interstate Railway Company, where riders traveling between Huntington and nearby cities would stop to change lines, the park soon gained a carousel and other roadside attractions. Camden Park is West Virginia's only amusement park. As of 2013, the park is home to more than thirty rides and attractions, including a full-size traditional wooden roller coaster, the "Big Dipper," and several other vintage rides.

ChiliFest has become a community event looked forward to by so many in our area. ChiliFest has grown from its humble beginnings in Ritter Park in 1983 to the present with over 20,000 people jamming the streets of downtown Huntington at Pullman Square.

Lawrence County Area Annual Events

 Event Date
Spring Victorian Tea/Style Show Late April
Kid's Fishing Derby Mid-May
Gus Macker Basketball Tournament Late May, Early June
Memorial Day Parade Last Monday in May
Community Charity Fair Last weekend in May
Lawrence County Fair July
Appalachian Uprising Music Festival Early August
Rally on the River Mid-August
Symmes Creek Canoe-a-thon Mid-August
Iron City Classic Car Show September
Ironton Artist's Outdoor Show September
Old Fashion Days Mid-September
Old Fashion Sorghum Festival Late September
Council for the Arts Concert Season October-April
Ghost Tour Mid October
Historical Homes Tours Mid-October
Haunted Tunnel Late October
Halloween Parade Late October
Christmas Parade Late November
Christmas Victorian Tea/Style Show Early December
Historical Church Walk Early December
Lighting of Paul Porter Park Early December