ATHENS – CONCORD TOWN SOCIAL PREVIEW
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Pitzer
Concord University
Office of Advancement
PO Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712
(304) 384-5211
8am – 4pm, M-F
www.concord.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 8, 2023
ATHENS, W.Va. – Event organizers are gearing up for the annual Athens-Concord Town Social.
Festivities will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 13. Food vendors, community groups, local businesses, regional artists, Concord University organizations, and Athens High School reunion groups will gather in the front yard of Concord’s campus and in front of the Jerry and Jean Beasley Student Center to celebrate the 35th year of this tradition.
“We are all thrilled to come back together for this time-honored tradition,” says Dr. Sarah Beasley, chair of the Town Social Committee and Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at CU. “This event has something for community members of every age, and it’s a great way to introduce new students to our town, so make plans to spend the afternoon in Athens!”
Area car enthusiasts have signed up to display their prized automobiles at the social’s car show. Prizes will be awarded, including “The President’s Choice” award, given by CU President Kendra Boggess. The car show is growing each year.
The highly anticipated community awards given out by the Town Social Committee are:
Good Neighbor
The Good Neighbor award will be presented to Concord University recently retired faculty member, Dr. Nancy Burton. Nancy has been a resident of Athens for 28 years. Her service to the community has been a result of her 43-year career as an educator. Nancy has coordinated the After School Kids program (ASK) at Athens Baptist Church since 2008 and served as a member of the Local School Improvement Council at Athens School.
Business Longevity
The Business Longevity Award will be awarded this year to the Town of Athens employees. The Town Social Committee wanted to recognize Steve Reynolds, Jamie Curry, Brandon Gill, Tony Gill, Charlie Jones, CT Lowe, Debra Shorter, Misty Miller, Missy Pentasuglia, Jared Matthew, Mike Sizemore, Joshua Oliver, Johnny Pentasuglia Sr., Pete Pentasuglia, Johnny Pentasuglia Jr., Jason Vest, and Preston Beggs.
Total Community Involvement
The Total Community Involvement Award will be presented to Lisa Davis. Lisa is a member of the inaugural graduating class of PikeView High School in 1995. In 2017, just six weeks after the birth of her twins, she completed her undergraduate degree from Concord University. Lisa is now enrolled in graduate school. Lisa currently owns and runs “Helpful Harvest”, an outreach center fostering compassion and resilience that caters to hunger relief and essential resources for families in need.
The Athens Lions Club will present the club’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year award to Jerry Beasley. They will also present the Beautification Award to David and Sheila Mann.
Four scholarships for Concord students will be presented at the Town Social as well: The Town Social Scholarships, $1,000 awarded to incoming freshmen, will be presented to Kasie Hazelwood and Luke Rutherford. The Jean Beasley Athens-Concord Town Social Memorial Scholarships, $500 awarded to two returning CU students, will be presented to Nicole Rutherford and Jessica Phillips.
Two musicians will play throughout the afternoon: Jean Hanna Davis will perform at the start of the social and Matt Deal will take the stage around 3 p.m. Awards will be presented between the two performances.
This year’s Athens-Concord Town Social is sponsored by the Town of Athens, Concord University, First Community Bank, Truist, and the State of West Virginia through the Division of Culture and History.
Please follow the Athens-Concord Town Social event page on Facebook for updates, including changes due to inclement weather.
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