Rotary Club of Shepherdstown member Walt Eifert, top, hangs the swing for the Almost Heaven Swing at James Rumsey Monument & Park, with the help of Shepherdstown Parks & Recreation Chair Cheryl Roberts, bottom right, along with club president Dale Homan and vice president Jennifer Wabnitz, on Saturday morning. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — A crowd of a hundred gathered clapped, as Miss West Virginia 2023 Karrington Childress cut the ribbon for Jefferson County’s own Almost Heaven Swing in the middle of James Rumsey Monument & Park on Saturday morning.

The idea for the swing was inspired by a speech given by Childress to the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown two years ago. According to club member Rick Caruso, her advocacy for the new attractions being established across the state struck a chord with many members of the club, who were committed to improving and promoting the local area.

“My goal in my reign as Miss West Virginia, other than to speak about my platform of literacy, was to highlight these swings. Rick caught onto that and would not let the idea go,” Childress said. “He kept coming back to me to day, ‘We’re working on it — don’t worry, we didn’t forget about it.’

“When I gave that presentation, there were only 22 swings across the state,” Childress said. “People come from all over to visit the swings and take a photo on them.”

Now, with the completion of the swing in Shepherdstown, the number of Almost Heaven Swings has grown to 49. That leaves only six counties remaining across the state to establish their own swing, with the only county to yet establish one in the Eastern Panhandle being Berkeley County.

Charlotte Davis, of Inwood, tries out Jefferson County's Almost Heaven Swing after its ribbon cutting on Saturday morning. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“We get one swing a county,” said Jefferson County Convention & Visitors Bureau Chief Executive Officer Annette Gavin Bates.

Each swing is designed and built by students at the Nicholas County Career & Technical Center, in partnership with the West Virginia Department of Tourism. The swings are then installed by residents in the counties they are being placed in — in this most recent case, by a group of 15 Rotarians led by Walter Eifert.

“It was a labor of love,” Eifert said. “We’re so thrilled to see this project completed.”

Although the swing could have been placed anywhere with a good photo opportunity in Jefferson County, the selection of this park was highly appropriate, due to its connection with local history.

“Rumsey Monument Park is a very special place,” said Shepherdstown Mayor James Gatz. “It was established about 100 years ago to honor James Rumsey, who created an early iteration of the steamboat. Lore has it that local residents got a little irked when Robert Fulton began getting all of the credit for the steamboat’s invention, so they created this park in James Rumsey’s honor.”

Jefferson County Convention & Visitors Bureau Chief Executive Officer Annette Gavin Bates speaks about the potential of the state's new Almost Heaven Swing, prior to its ribbon cutting at James Rumsey Monument & Park on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

Gatz noted that the park has since become a place where people come to enjoy nature and mark significant moments in their life.

“This is a place where people come to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. It has become an important place to a lot of people,” Gatz said. “A lot of people have personal memories that have happened here, like engagements and weddings. And a number of town events have happened here over the years, including the May Day celebration and various races and parades.

“Today, we are adding another page to the park’s history,” Gatz said. “The Rotary Club has the force of a laser beam. They focus on what needs to happen and they get it done. We are so thankful they donated this swing to our park.”

Miss West Virginia 2023 Karrington Childress cuts the ribbon for the Almost Heaven Swing at James Rumsey Monument & Park on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

Mayor James Gatz expresses his appreciation for the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown, prior to the ribbon cutting at James Rumsey Monument & Park on Saturday morning. Photo by Tabitha Johnston