For Immediate Release
Date: Nov. 17, 2025
Contact: Sarah Goodrich
Phone: 304-368-1123
Email: sarah@marioncvb.com
Website: marioncvb.com
PLEASANT VALLEY, W.V. – Celebrate a true Appalachian Christmas with the new Appalachian Christmas Vacation Digital Passport. Created by the Marion County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the digital passpoint allows travelers to win prizes by attending local Italian and Appalachian events like the beloved Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival.
“Our little piece of Appalachia is very Italian with a deep love of Christmas,” Leah Smith, Marion CVB executive director, said. “For people who haven’t been to West Virginia, this is a perfect time to experience culture, good food and the magic of an Italian-Appalachian Christmas.”
Each event is worth 10 or 20 points, with prizes worth 20 to 30 points. When you’ve checked in and earned enough points, choose from prizes like a Feast of the Seven Fishes ornament, an Appalachian Christmas Vacation sticker and a Christmas camping mug. Download your passport.
To experience an authentic Appalachian Christmas Vacation, register to participate in An Appalachian Christmas Vacation and instantly receive the digital passport via email or text. Once downloaded, visitors can check in to events to earn points and unlock Appalachian Christmas prizes – including an official sticker, ornament and mug.
Accessing An Appalachian Christmas Vacation Passport is easy
- Navigate to https://marioncvb.com/an-appalachian-christmas-vacation
- Register to get your Appalachian Christmas Vacation Passport by filling out your contact information.
- After signing up, the digital passport for An Appalachian Christmas Vacation will be delivered to your phone via text or to the email provided.
- Discover an Italian Appalachian Christmas! Open the passport on your phone, scroll to find the location you’re visiting and check in to mark it off your list.
The digital passport takes on on the perfect holiday journey throughout Marion County, including 7 unique and festive events:
- Take a stroll or drive through the Celebration of Lights, a 1.3 mile park covered in more than 500 hundred Christmas lights.
- Learn how the colonists celebrated during colonial times at Pricketts Fort State Park’s 18th Century Candlelight Christmas Tours. The fort and Prickett House are beautifully decorated for the season making the entire experience very Appalachian and magical.
- Head to Clarksburg’s Robinson Grand for a viewing of the Italian-Appalachian Christmas story, The Feast of the Seven Fishes, filmed in Marion County.
- : Stroll an historic downtown during the 19th Annual Feast of the Seven FIshes Festival and enjoy the sights, sounds and flavors of the area’s Italian heritage.
- If you have the opportunity (and luck), snag a ticket to the Festival Cucina Cooking School to eat delicious Italian food.
- : An historic downtown area comes to life with twinkly lights synced to Christmas songs for the inaugural Christmas Village and Light Show.
- Conclude the holiday season and welcome 2026 with The Great Pepperoni Roll Drop, an evening of local vendors, craft breweries, live music and the dropping of the mega-sized pepperoni roll at the strike of midnight.
“During the weekend of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, visitors can earn up to 40 points,” Smith said. “It’s very easy to win prizes, which are keepsakes from these very unique events. Plus, Appalachia is one of few places where Christmas experiences are affordable and incredibly memorable.”
For more information on An Appalachian Christmas Vacation or to register for a digital passport, visit https://marioncvb.com/an-appalachian-christmas-vacation. For even more Appalachian Christmas Vacation events, visit the Complete Holiday Guide to Marion County.