The City of Madison will be hosting thousands of visitors this week during the 16th annual West Virginia Coal Festival.

The five-day event is a great time to get together to celebrate the heritage and hard work of coal miners in the state of West Virginia.

Now recognized as the state rock of West Virginia, coal was first discovered right here in Boone County, at Peytona in 1742.

Also, for 11 consecutive years, Boone County has been the number one coal producing county in the state of West Virginia.

This year’s Coal Festival has something for everyone, says event publicist Larry Lodato. Volunteers have worked hard, again this year, to make the festival a success and have brought nationally recognized talent to entertain the crowds.

This year’s musical line-up includes some local favorites such as B.B. Cole and Seth Bunting, as well as nationally recognized Confederate Railroad and Billy Joe Royal.