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The steps of the Boone County Courthouse features 34 miners’ hats on crosses with white balloons tied to each cross.
“One for each of the men who died since last year’s annual West Virginia Coal Festival,” said Larry Lodato, secretary and publicist of the West Virginia Coal Festival. “Twenty-nine of those crosses are for the men that died inside the Upper Big Branch mine at Montcalm, near Whitesville on April 5. This is the most deaths we have had in the 17-year history of the festival.”
“Grieving with Hope, Leaning on Jesus” is the theme for this year’s West Virginia Coal Festival Miners’ Memorial Service was part of the Wednesday evening, June 16, opening ceremony events.
“This will be the most difficult service that we’ve ever faced,” said Delores W. Cook, coordinator of the memorial service.
Other in attendance agreed.
“There is a sadness in Boone County,” Jessica Sands said.
As the names of each of the fallen miners were read, a white balloon was released into the air.
Sands hopes her husband JR’s name will never be read during such a service. But that hope doesn't shadow the reality of the danger her husband faces every time he leaves for work. So she makes sure to get that goodbye kiss.
"You kiss me goodbye because he might not get to come home and kiss me again,” she said.
Lodato and Cook said festival officials hope next year that there will be no names read and no memorial service for fallen miners.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful,” Lodato said.
Cook, along with the help of some coal miners from the area, turned on a light on each miner’s hat and then released a white balloon that was tied to the cross.
Some of the family members of miners killed at the UBB mine were in attendance.
The "Coal Miners Memorial Flag" was put in place by area Civil Air Patrol
Cadets followed by a procession of the Boone County Chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 5578.
The Rev. Frank Frye, pastor of the Madison United Methodist Church gave the invocation and benediction. Be Be Cole, a talented local Gospel singer, performed.
The wooden crosses were made by Mark Vickers’ building construction students at the Boone County Career and Technical Center, and Patriot Coal Corporation provided the mining hats. A large wreath was donated by Bill Ollie of Michelle’s Flowers in Danville.
The festival ended Saturday night with a fireworks display and also featured a grand parade, carnival rides, music and more.
The festival’s major entertainment featured a concert from legendary country music singer Aaron Tippin on Thursday, June 17, and country group Highway 101 on Friday, June 18.
Another main attraction at the festival was the mine machinery equipment, which was always displayed on the parking lot across from the Boone County Courthouse.
Major sponsors of the festival included Patriot Coal Corp., the Boone County Commission, the United Mine Workers of America, the Boone County Economic Development Office, Coal River Energy and Tyler Trucking Company.
Additional photographs and slide shows can be viewed online at www.coalvalleynews.com
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