My first stop was Clarksburg West Virginia where I had visited on a couple of occasions in the past. I was trying to get my focus on how I was going to present what was doing.
I was there for about 45 minutes walking around a three-block area. There was a nice theater, the Robinson Grand Center, for the performing arts, but it had shows scheduled for October 22, giving me the impression they were not sure that there would be much call to hold public gatherings.
The town was over 90% vacant. Some storefronts were boarded with 2 x 4’s holding the boards in place. No one was on the streets, but there was a community group with a Chicken BBQ fundraiser in one of the parking lots across from the theater. No one was there but me and them, but it was 10:30 in the morning, and it was a little early for anyone to eat chicken. The sidewalks and the physical conditions of most buildings were good but a little dirty and had the look of abandonment.
Since this was my first city, I was a little surprised at the vacancies, but the theater looks like it will make it. It was well maintained and looked to have been a significant investment in making the downtown vibrant.