Community Bulletin
WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital and Buckhannon Upshur Rotary will offer $35 blood screenings by appointment Oct. 10-31 in Buckhannon and Nov. 7 in Rock Cave. Optional tests are available, and participants must fast for 12 hours. Read more →
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The couple who started Fairmont’s Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival two decades ago will lead the Fairmont State University Homecoming Parade through historic downtown Fairmont at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 1.
Robert and Shannon Colaianni Tinnell are this year’s parade marshals. Homecoming week runs September 28 through October 4 under the theme “Meet Me on the Hill,” and the university will also honor 19 graduates with its 2026 Alumni Awards.
The Tinnells teamed up with Main Street Fairmont and local volunteers to hold the first Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival in 2006. The festival turns 20 this year.
Robert Tinnell writes, directs and produces for film, television and publishing. He and his brother, Jeffrey, founded Allegheny Image Factory, a production company based in West Virginia. His latest project as a producer is “River,” a Universal/Blumhouse horror film shot in Marion and Monongalia counties and due out in 2027.
He drew on his own Fairmont childhood for the graphic novel “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” an Eisner Award nominee, and later directed the movie version with a cast that included Madison Iseman, Skyler Gisondo, Joe Pantoliano, Andrew Schulz and Paul Ben-Victor. His other comics include the Rondo Award winner “The Black Forest,” “The Living and the Dead” and “Flesh and Blood,” which the university says was the first comic book ever reviewed by USA Today. He also produced the MTV Award-winning music video for Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” and directed “Frankenstein and Me,” Ryan Gosling’s first feature film, which also featured Burt Reynolds.
University President Mike Davis said the theme captures the sense of belonging many alumni feel when they come back to campus.
“It is a reminder that no matter where life takes us, Fairmont State will always be a place we can call home,” Davis said.
The alumni award winners will be honored at a luncheon at noon Friday, October 2, in Falcon Center Gym 1. They will also appear in the parade and be recognized before the homecoming football game against Glenville State University at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 3, at Duvall-Rosier Field.
This year’s honorees are:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Joseph “Bud” Ford
- Outstanding Alumni: Marci Cochran, Cathie Devito Metheny, Jacqueline Iquinto Reed, Diana Pishner Walker, Mel Coleman Jr., Dr. Michael Edmond, Gary Fazalare and Tony Merendino
- Alumni of Achievement: Jessica Chenoweth, Crystal Laughlin Mersh, Susan Riffle, Vanessa Sword, Vincent Cava, Allen Retton, David Ricer and Chuck Smith
- Outstanding Young Alumni: Emily Gersper Mouser and Alexander Petry
Other highlights of the week:
- Thursday, October 1: Emeritus Luncheon honoring the Class of 1976 at noon in the Falcon Center Conference Rooms (tickets); alumni social at 4 p.m. at The Joe, 323½ Adams St., Fairmont; the parade at 6 p.m.; and Thursday Night Lights at 7 p.m. in the tennis courts gravel lot on campus
- Friday, October 2: Alumni Awards Luncheon at noon (tickets) and the Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner at 5 p.m. (tickets), both in Falcon Center Gym 1
- Saturday, October 3: Alumni tailgate from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Duvall-Rosier Field White Lot, followed by the 2 p.m. kickoff against Glenville State (advance tickets)
The full homecoming schedule, with registration details, is on the university’s website.
