PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - The Parkersburg Homecoming Festival is hosting a fundraiser this spring with a special guest.
Former West Virginia University and NFL fullback Owen Schmitt will appear at a silent auction dinner fundraiser on April 29 at the Center on Market. The event starts at 5 p.m.
Chuck Lipps, Vice President of the Parkersburg Homecoming Committee, said the fundraiser has been in discussion for about 12 years.
“Finally, we had the opportunity to gather up some items for silent auction,” Lipps said. “It’s springtime, everybody get out and let’s have a good time.”
Fundraiser to support festival entertainment
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The fundraiser will help cover the cost of entertainment for the annual festival, which takes place every August in downtown Parkersburg.
“Sponsors are tough anymore, so everybody has to get out and kind of fend for themselves,” Lipps said. “We think with this fundraiser, this will be a big help in the cost of entertainment this year.”
Schmitt played professional football with the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders. He now works for UPS in southern West Virginia.
Schmitt has a new book titled “The Little Fullback That Could,” which Lipps described as a story of Schmitt’s life through pictures and a coloring book for children.
Tickets and sponsor tables available
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Tickets are on sale now at parkersburghomecoming.com. Click [here](https://parkersburghomecoming.com/store-1/p/event-ticket) to get tickets. Sponsor tables are also available for purchase.
Four sponsor tables are being sold at 10 people per table. Those tables will be front row and include a private meet and greet with Schmitt prior to the program.
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