Photo Provided Virtual puzzles can be pieced together on your phone, computer or tablet, thanks to resources made available through the Belmont County Tourism Council.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Belmont County had its moment in the statewide spotlight Monday, thanks to the creative efforts of the Belmont County Tourism Council staff.

During his daily press briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Mike DeWine highlighted the local tourism council’s website — particularly some virtual puzzles that have been made available to the public. In addition to offering virtual tours of some of the county’s most popular attractions, the website now features jigsaw puzzles created from photos of historic attractions, parks and other features of the county.

The puzzles can be found at visitbelmontcounty.com/virtual-puzzles. Each includes options that can be customized for the user, who then simply drags and drops the virtual pieces to put the puzzle together.

“This is really cool,” DeWine said while viewing an example of the puzzles on a large screen in the briefing room.

County tourism director Barb Ballint was excited to receive the recognition and to get word out about what the council is doing to support the public and call attention to Belmont County during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s been a great day,” Ballint said in a phone interview.

Ballint said she continues to work closely with state tourism Director Matt MacLaren, who recently was impressed with the county office’s social media presence and asked to use the virtual puzzles at the state level as well.

“It’s definitely been an interesting time for our office,” Ballint said. “We have had to think of a whole new way to do marketing.”

Ballint said the puzzles were the brainchild of the council’s digital marketing manager, Brooke Robison. Robinson said she got the idea from a Facebook group for tourism professionals that she follows .

“When I think about Belmont County, I think of natural landmarks, outdoor recreation and historic sites,” Robinson said, noting those ideas led her efforts to go through the council’s photo collections and select images to turn into virtual puzzles.

Robinson said some of the selections people can choose from include: Dickinson Cattle Co., located in Barnesville; Barkcamp State Park; the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival; Blame My Roots Fest; the Betty Zane statue in Martins Ferry; the Schaeffer-Campbell Covered Bridge on the campus of Ohio University Eastern; Belmont County Heritage Museum in St. Clairsville; Great Western Schoolhouse, also at OUE; the Blaine “S” Bridge; the Great Stone Viaduct in Bellaire; the Belmont County Courthouse and many others.

Ballint noted that the council also received an email from a teacher in another county asking the council to consider using images from across the Buckeye State to create moe puzzles that could be widely distributed to students.

“They are a great tool for Ohio history,” Ballint said of the puzzles’ potential for lessons.

In addition to the virtual tours and puzzles, Ballint pointed out that the council’s website also features resources for residents and businesses, such as lists of what restaurants are open, closed and offering carryout service. She gave credit for the efforts to Robinson and the entire staff of her office.

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” Ballint concluded.