The Tug Valley Mining Institute’s monthly meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2010 and is to be their Scholarship dinner.  Bill Bissett of the Kentucky Coal Association will be the guest speaker with Hi-tech Construction sponsoring.  The meeting will be held at the Rivers Edge Restaurant in Williamson (formerly the Brass Tree).  Social hour will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. with dinner at 7.  To make reservations please contact Nathan Brown at 304.239.2300.

The Kanawha County Commission in conjunction with several sponsors and the WV Power has put together the following promotion for Coal Miner Appreciation Day at Appalachian Power Park: 

Coal Miner Appreciation Day at Appalachian Power Park will be the Memorial Day game on Monday, May 31; 1:05 pm start.  All coal miners (active & retired) and their immediate family will receive free admission to the game.

The free admission will include the Belly Buster package of all you can eat and drink.  Starting on that game, all Power players will wear a #29 patch on their uniform for the remainder of the season.  The WV Power will retire the #29 jersey.  An outfield billboard will be placed to memorialize the fallen miners.  Various fund raising activities for the fallen miners’ families will take place during and after the game.

The 7th Annual Friends of Coal Auto Fair is set for July 16 – 18 at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex in Beckley, WV.  Friday, July 16 will begin the Fair with the Cruise-In to uptown Beckley for the Renaissance Car Show and live entertainment by former American Idol contestant and Beckley native, Robbie Carrico.  Saturday will have the Live in Concert by The Charlie Daniels Band and Taylor Made, with special appearances by The Gold Knights Army Parachute Team and FOC spokesmen Coach Nehlen, Coach Pruett and BassMaster Jeremy Starks.  Tickets ($15.00 advance & $20.00 day of show) for the Concert will go on sale May 1st at select WV & VA Marquee Cinemas and the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA.

The 17th Annual West Virginia Coal Festival begins in Madison, WV on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 6 p.m. and will end at approximately 11 p.m. on June 19th.  Patriot Coal Corp. will be sponsoring the Mining Equipment Display which will be available during these times.

**Will Attend Field Hearing in West Virginia on Monday, May 24th**

Washington, D.C.—Senator Jay Rockefeller today outlined his next steps on mine safety, following the Upper Big Branch mine tragedy in West Virginia—including attending a field hearing in Beckley on May 24, at 9:00 a.m. Rockefeller, a longtime fighter for strong mine safety laws and one of the leading authors of the MINER Act of 2006, has been working with state, local and federal officials to uncover more details about the Upper Big Branch accident and determine what needs to be done for the future.

“The tragedy at Upper Big Branch mine was felt by our entire country, and we are still in pain. We cannot change what happened—but we can make changes going forward. Every worker deserves a safe workplace—and it is the job of elected representatives to make sure that all voices are heard and laws are improved.