The Charleston Civic Center has recently unveiled a new hardwood floor for the Civic Center’s basketball court, sponsored by the Friends of Coal.

The West Virginia University men’s basketball team will put the new floor to the test when they take on Morehead State University Tuesday night.

Center court includes an orange outline of West Virginia and the profiles of three West Virginia coal miners. WV Coal Association President Bill Raney said it’s an honor for miners to be shown on the hardwood.

The West Virginia Film Office is promoting the November 22 release of “Super 8″ on Blu-ray and DVD with a giveway on Facebook and Twitter.

“Super 8,” — directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, shot for several weeks in and around Weirton, West Virginia.

The DVD release features more than two hours of bonus material, including behind-the-scenes features such as “Rediscovering Steel Town” — which is about West Virginia.

To participate in the film office’s eight-day giveaway, visit facebook.com/wvfilm, or wvfilm.

Spooky Candy Bars

You will need candy bars, white crepe paper strips, black construction paper, googly eyes, and tape or glue. For the mummy: Glue two googly eyes at the top of the candy bar, and wrap a white crepe-paper strip around it. Seal down on the back with tape.

For the bat: Cut out the shape of a bat from construction paper wide enough to hold a candy bar inside. Glue the bat shape to the back of a candy bar, wrap the wings of the bat around the candy bar, and seal with tape. Stick two googly eyes on the face of the bat to complete your bat.

Jar-o-Lanterns

You will need clean empty jars, orange and white crepe paper or tissue paper, glue, black construction paper, and LED flicker candles. Cut or tear the crepe paper into pieces. Coat the outside of the glass jar with glue, take the pieces of crepe paper, and stick them onto the jar.

Once it’s covered with bits of paper, glaze on another coat of glue, and let dry. Cut the jack-o-lanterns’ and ghosts’ eyes, nose and mouths out of black construction paper and glue them to the front of the jar. Put a LED flicker candle inside to finish it off.

Mike and Susie Rasmussen together with their family, friends, and supporters have put up Mud Buddies Foundation — a nonprofit organization that provides fun family outdoor experiences for children with special needs. Mud Buddies provides guided ATV rides for children with autism, Down Syndrome, and other disabilities — the Rasmussens personally assure all families who avail of this free activity that all their vehicles are safe to use.

Mike and Susie decided to put together the foundation after a deeply disappointing experience with one of their friends’ children, who was unable to join the family ATV excursion just because she was born with Down Syndrome. Determined not to exclude any special child from similar outdoor activities ever again, the couple pooled their resources and called on family and friends to help.

The couple both have extensive background in first-aid and rescue, which gave them the skills and the confidence to create and maintain the program. They currently operate on the Hatfield-McCoy Trails throughout Mingo, Boone and Logan counties. The Rasmussens tailor every ride to each child’s preferences, as well as take into consideration physical limitations and health conditions. One parent or caregiver is required to accompany the child, however Mud Buddies encourages all family members to join the ride.

For bookings and other inquiries, please call Mike or Susie Rasmussen at 607-745-4185.

With temperatures in Charleston already reaching a searing 90 degrees, here are three great ways to beat the heat!

1) Bring an umbrella.

You may get some funny looks at first — after all, why bring an umbrella with you if it’s not raining? However, umbrellas or parasols were originally meant to provide shade during hot summer days — not as rain gear. So if you find yourself headed out in the blistering heat, bring an umbrella along to keep cool and prevent heat stroke.

2) Drink lots of water.

You sweat a lot more on hot summer days, making your body dehydrated — even dangerously so. Do not forget to keep hydrated to replace all that lost water and minerals. And don’t just reach for any liquid like a soda or an iced mocha — drink water or fruit juice which will be absorbed by your body faster, keeping your entire body cool in the summer heat.

3) Indulge in an icy treat.

Cold treats like shaved ices or sorbets will help cool you down without the calories found in ice creams and milkshakes. They are also cheaper, and you can ever make them yourself! For shaved ice: grab a couple of ice cubes, run them through your blender using the Crush function, spoon into a cup and drizzle with shaved ice syrup. For sorbets: pour fruit juice into an ice tray and let freeze, once frozen tip the fruit juice ice cubes into your blender and hit Crush, then spoon into cups and serve.

Doug Maxwell lost his left arm and his right leg at age ten, from a horrific childhood accident involving a tree, a power line, and a little boy’s sense of adventure.

That sense of adventure did not appear to dwindle over the years, as the 40-year-old Charleston resident conquered Mount Kilimanjaro — the tallest in Africa at 19,341 feet.

Maxwell has always loved the outdoors — he liked skiing and rock climbing. He was in such great shape that he was able to carry loads comparable to people with full sets of limbs. His only worry about the whole adventure to Kilimanjaro was that he was not sure if his artificial limbs would be able to hold up under all that strain.

However, after a series of training exercises and visits to doctors for improvements on his prosthetics, he signed up for a seven-day tour with Alpine Ascent from Seattle. The group had close to 100 members, composed mostly of guides and porters — who carried most of the camping and ascent equipment.

Maxwell and his group made it to the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro after eight grueling hous of nearly vertical climbs from their highest base camp (climbing up there alone took the better part of four days).

“The best way I can describe it is like something out of Middle Earth from the ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ” he said. “It has an otherworldly feel.” Maxwell said he feels blessed to have been able to scale the peak, and that left with just one arm and one leg he felt he was still better off than most people.

“I may not be the best at everything, but the idea of just participating and being able to do things, even if it’s more of a struggle, I can say I was in the game. It’s sort of my philosophy.”, Maxwell said.

Both resorts offer 14 slopes & trails and four lifts. Special ski and lodging packages are available. For more information and details, visit the Snowshoe resort website at www.snowshoemtn.com and the Winterplace website at www.winterplace.com.

West Virginia is in both the Appalachian Plateu and Valley & Ridge region of the Appalachian. Hikers doing the Appalachian Trail will be passing through the state at Harper’s Ferry, though only for four miles. Visitors in Charleston who are interested in hiking in the Appalachians have plenty of options within the county, even if not at the AT.

There are several hiking trails that they can follow in the surrounding mountains and forest. Trail maps are available from the WV State Park website. The most popular hiking and trekking destination in charleston is the Kanawha State Forest, located just a few miles south of Charleston. The park has several hiking trails that you can do, and has fantastic facilities including a campground for those who want to hike for several days.

Thinking of getting into hiking? Try out it out for yourself during the Osbra Eye Memorial Spring Wildlflower Walks, which will be held on April 25 at the Kanawha State Forest. This event is held to commemorate Osbra Eye’s contributions as a naturalist, photographer, and advocate for Forest preservation. It will feature several walks to suit different interests. You can also get in touch with the Kanawha Trail Club, who schedules hikes all around the Kanawha Valley every weekend. Their hike schedule is posted at the club’s website at kanawhatrailclub.org

Midland Trail Scenic Highway Association has come up with a few driving routes on the I-60, passing through West Virginia’s lush landscape. The route takes you through both natural and man-made attractions, appealing to both nature lovers and adventure seekers. The Association’s website has all the guides and details you need for planning this scenics drive. For more information and to request for the destination guide, visit www.midlandtrail.com.

Midland Trail Scenic Highway Association
237 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 343-6001
Fax: (304)344-2210
Website: www.midlandtrail.com

General admission price is $8.00 per person, with discounts for children ages 5 to 11 and seniors at $6.50 each. Children four years and under get in for free. Big groups can get up to $1.00 discount each.

Floaters, inflatables and Styrofoam objects are not allowed to be brought into the park. You can however rent floats for $4.00 each.

The park is open daily, opening at 11 am from Mondays through Saturdays, and 12 noon on Sundays. The park closes at 7pm, and if you get in after 4pm, you only pay for half of the admission price.

Waves of Fun
#1 Valley Park Drive, Hurricane, WV 25526
Phone: (304) 562-0518
Fax: (304) 562-5375
E-mail: parks@putnamcounty.org
Website: http://parks.putnamcounty.org