MARIETTA - On Christmas Day, those looking for a quick bite to eat, a place to share a holiday meal or a bar to enjoy a brew or two will have slim pickings in the Parkersburg/Marietta area.
However, there are a handful of locations that will not have their windows shuttered and doors closed today.
If hunger pangs strike after 4 p.m., Napoli's Pizza on Pike Street in Marietta is one place to turn for pizza and other Italian-themed items.
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Photo by Wayne Towner
Missy Willison, day cook supervisor at Napoli’s on Seventh Street in Parkersburg, places a pizza in the oven on Christmas Eve. Several of the Napoli’s locations — and a number of other businesses — will be open today for Christmas Day.
"When travelers come through Marietta, there are very few places open," said Wayne Waldeck, CEO of Napoli's Pizza.
The Marietta Napoli's Pizza location has been open on Christmas Day for decades. Other local Napoli's locations that will be open today from 3 p.m.-midnight around the area include Mineral Wells and two locations in Parkersburg, on Seventh Street and in the traffic circle on Ohio Avenue.
"We've found over the years that people rely on us and know we're going to be open," Waldeck said.
Fact Box
Working on the Holiday
Some other businesses open on Christmas:
* Marietta Brewing Company, Front Street, Marietta, opens 7:30 p.m., (kitchen closed).
* Norwood Tavern, Greene Street, Marietta, opens 5 p.m.
* JP Henry's, Parkersburg, full menu and bar, opens 4 p.m.
* Harmar Tavern, Maple Street, Marietta, (bar open, kitchen closed).
* Empire Buffet, Pike Street, Marietta.
* Shogun Sushi and Hibachi, Lafayette Center, Marietta, noon to 9 p.m.
* Domino's Pizza, 415 Second St., Marietta; 2109 Washington Blvd., Belpre; 1814 Seventh St., Parkersburg; 3100 Grand Central Ave., Vienna. Open 4-11 p.m.
The open sign the restaurant puts out is more of a service to customers and travelers than part of a business model, said Waldeck.
"It's for local people, those who live alone, don't have Christmas dinner or want to come out and eat something," he said.
And staffers are only too happy to work Christmas Day.
"We only use volunteer help. We always have more volunteers than we actually need because people like working that day," Waldeck said.
Waldeck remembers working a Christmas shift many years ago.
"Everybody was in a good mood, laughing and jovial," said Waldeck. "It's just a happy time."
Folks who are in search of a libation on Dec. 25 can visit Harmar Tavern.
"We're always open on Christmas Day," said daytime bartender Steve Mouser. "For a lot of people, it's the only place they have to come to."
No food items from Harmar Tavern's menu will be served, but Mouser said he will cook up a ham and trimmings.
"I usually do that on my own, at no fee," Mouser said.
Many of the convenience store chains are also expected to be open today for the holiday, including area 7-Eleven stores, Speedway locations, GoMart stores, Par-Mar stores and others, store personnel from the businesses reported.
For those wishing to burn up some of the sugar-filled cookies and candy, two local bowling alleys will be open today for the holiday. North Hills Bowling Alley, on Colegate Drive in Marietta, will be open from 3-9 p.m. today and Emerson Lanes, located at 36th Street and Emerson Avenue in north Parkersburg, will be open from 5-11 p.m. today.
The newest CVS Pharmacy on Murdoch Avenue in Parkersburg's traffic circle will be open today, while the company's other local pharmacies will close for the holiday, store employees said. The Rite Aid at 3400 Dudley Ave. in Parkersburg will also be open today for the holiday, a store .
Some area restaurants offering ethnic cuisine will be open for today's holiday, including Super China Buffet, Great Wall, Fusion Japanese Steak House and others.
After opening gifts today, local residents can also enjoy some entertainment by visiting area movie theaters including Odyssey 7 Theatre in Marietta's Lafayette Center and Regal Cinemas at the Grand Central Mall in Vienna.
Three movies will premiere today: "Les Miserables," "Django Unchained" and "Parental Guidance."
"Les Miserables" is an adaptation of the hit musical of the same name. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in the epic story of broken dreams and unrequited love set against the backdrop of 19th-century France.
Director Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," starring Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, is the story of a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with a German-born bounty hunter.
Starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei, the comedy "Parental Guidance" tells the story of an old-school grandfather, accustomed to calling the shots, who meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife agree to babysit their three grandchildren.
