SUMMER FUN — The annual Greek Food Festival presented by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Steubenville was among the locations visited by Jefferson County Commissioner Eric Timmons. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — Don’t tell Jefferson County Commissioner Eric Timmons there’s never anything to do in Jefferson County: He just spent an entire month this summer proving the grumbling public wrong, documenting his travels on social media every step of the way.

During a 30-day period in June he kayaked at Friendship Park, went boating on the Ohio River and walked the trails at the Hellbender Preserve and Beatty Park. He took in the sights at First Friday in Steubenville and Wednesdays in Wintersville, enjoyed concerts at Historic Fort Steuben and Tiltonsville, played in the splash pad and pool in Mingo Junction and visited Hightower Brewing Co. in Rayland and the 7 Ranges entertainment complex at the Fort Steuben Mall. He toured a historic house in Mount Pleasant; went fishing; attended multiple sporting events, dinners and library events; played poker and chess; and yelled ‘bingo’ with the best of them. He also worked alongside community volunteers and helped at food pantries.

“I could go on and on,” he said. “I found something to do every day. It wasn’t difficult. Several times I had multiple activities to do. (And) it was great how the 30 days caught on — I would receive calls or messages from (people) asking me to participate in their events.”

His biggest problem, he said, was, “I couldn’t get to everything.”

“Unfortunately, I could not hit all the activities and I didn’t get to every community in the county, but I tried,” he said, adding that there “will always be naysayers and negativity, but if you can’t find one of the events fulfilling or fun, I don’t know what to tell you.”

GLIMPSE AT HISTORY — Historical locations around the area were included in the trip Jefferson County Commissioner eric Timmons made through the area. They inlcuded a stop at Historic Fort Steuben, where Timmons and his daughter, Theodora, got to hang out with Baron von Steuben, portrayed by John Holmes. -- Contributed

He said his 30-day odyssey taught him a lot.

“Everywhere I went people asked, ‘Where are you going tomorrow?'” he said. “We take so much for granted in this county. I learned that we have a lot of great people. We have a lot of beautiful scenery and a ton of interesting and important history, and we have many caring and passionate individuals.”

Even better, he said he had fun.

“I enjoyed every activity,” he said. “From the history, to the parks, to the events, it was all ‘something to do.’ Sometimes, you just have to get up off of the couch and get involved. There are a lot of complainers out there, but most of them I don’t see getting involved.”

He said his daughter, Theodora, had a blast, going with him to “many kid-friendly places” in Jefferson County including the pool and parks.

ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO — A quest by Jefferson County Commissioner Eric Timmons to demonstrate that there’s always something to do in the area included hanging out with participants in the Steubenville Youth Baseball Program. -- Contributed

“I played bingo a couple of times with local seniors, even winning a game,” he said,” reporting they take their bingo seriously!”

“I also indulged in some adult nights out at 7 Ranges and Hightower Brewing,” he added.

His point?

“There are things to do for every age group in this county,” he said. “I’d decided I was tired of (hearing people say there was nothing to do) and I love proving people wrong, so I decided to highlight the many things to do (here),” he said. “It was also a great way to get out and talk to citizens. I have never wanted to be a leader who only comes out during election time — I want to know the concerns of the citizens, and there is no better way to do that than getting out and about.”

He said when he was at the food pantry in Saline Township, a volunteer told him, “This is a way for us to get out and help. We are building community.”

“That stuck with me,” he said. “‘We are building community’ was evident through all of the activities I took part in. There is plenty to do around here, with more to come.”

He said he’ll probably go on the road again at some point, pointing out, “Every event is important, and you can see how much it means to people.”

“I’ve aways believed that elected officials should be out and about, not just around election time. So, I’ll be out there showcasing our county and listening to the residents.”