From left, Nancy Miller, Gary Weiland, and Catherine Bigley smile for a photo together at The Amputee Center Fun Fest Saturday. (Photo provided by Catherine Bigley)

PARKERSBURG – The fourth annual Amputee Center Fun Fest featured its first event 5K walk/run, guest speaker American Ninja Warrior Gary Weiland, and an evening concert by Division Street Band on Saturday.

The event began bright and early at 9 a.m. and concluded later Saturday night after a day packed with engaging activities for amputees and their families.

The Amputee Center Executive Director Catherine Bigley, widely known as Cat, said the turnout was excellent this year with all new events and an overall increase in attendees.

“We wanted to give everybody a chance to get out here … it makes us happy we can do this,” she said.

The event was held for its second year at the Wood County Resiliency Center, which Bigley said was a great space because of its holding capacity and accessibility. She said the goal was to make sure everyone could be part of the event.

The Amputee Center Fun Fest attendees dressing as zombies posing with American Ninja Warrior Gary Weiland on Saturday. (Photo provided by Catherine Bigley)

“Originally, the board put together a fun fest just for amputees to be able to get out and do something fun,” said Bigley. “Then we turned it into a benefit … it’s still centered on making it fun for the amputees and making sure they can get around … but the whole community is invited.”

She said there are vendors with purchasable items as well as specific items like socks and prosthetics for amputees.

Bigley said her favorite event was the 5K since it was the first year they included a race.

“That was probably the biggest thing that really excited me, and also the concert,” she said. “There were about 75 people in attendance for the morning run.”

The 5K had categories for walkers, runners, adaptive athletes and a dog and kid category. She said there were winners for each category awarded a medal.

A group photo with attendees at The Amputee Center Fun Fest held at the Wood County Resiliency Center on Saturday. (Photo provided by Catherine Bigley)

“It’s really been wonderful,” she said.

Board President Nancy Miller said people were really excited for Saturday and look forward to Fun Fest each year.

“This is a day of celebration,” said Miller. “We have prosthetic vendors here for anyone needing to try on legs and we have different solutions for them such as socks or other things.”

Miller said The Amputee Center is a non-profit that was founded in 2020.

On Saturday afternoon, Weiland spoke to a large crowd of attendees about losing his left leg in 2018. His story was of resilience and determination and how he overcame the challenge of missing a leg.

A few of the runners and walkers in The Amputee Center Fun Fest 5K Saturday morning. (Photo provided by Catherine Bigley)

“We all face adversity and a lot of us here have faced the same kind of adversity,” said Weiland. “So how do we respond when we are faced with adversity?”

After losing his leg in a surgical complication, Weiland was unsure of how his life would go. Less than 10 months after the complication, he made the decision not to let it determine the rest of his life and he went back on duty as a firefighter.

“I always thought that everything happens for a reason and when this happened I thought, ‘why did I think that?'” he said. “I had lots and lots of bad days.”

Weiland said he realized that everything does happen for a reason and it was a chance for him to change his outlook and attitude on his life.

“Why did this happen to me if I’m a firefighter that serves my community? I’m doing good things,” he said. “It changed to why did this happen for me.”

American Ninja Warrior Gary Weiland speaks at The Amputee Center Fun Fest on Saturday held at the Wood County Resiliency Center. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Weiland said it can be difficult to change your outlook on a situation, especially when that situation is losing a limb. He said he would go on to achieve many things in life such as becoming a motivational speaker, becoming an American Ninja Warrior and a member of USA Para teams.

Weiland now spends his time traveling and speaking for communities who have experienced adversity similar to his.

“So let’s make the best of a bad situation,” he said.

Parkersburg resident Carmen Joachim attended the event and said it was full of energy and community. She said it was an event not only for amputees but for everyone.

“This event was full of energy, happiness, love, community, acceptance, determination and so many other adjectives I could keep going on and on that I felt,” she said. “This event was connection and exposure for all people. I hope even more of my friends come next year because it’s worth checking out.”

A ninja warrior challenge sign directs The Amputee Center Fun Fest attendees to an activity in the garage of the Wood County Resiliency Center on Saturday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

For more information about The Amputee Center visit www.theamputeecenter.com