The Association and the Friends of Coal continued its outreach efforts this past week with a day at the West Virginia State Fair. Located next door to the West Virginia Building, the tent was staffed throughout the day on Friday, August 20 and saw a great deal of foot traffic. Visitors were provided license plates, stickers, information about the mining process and its role in the West Virginia economy and saw displays about surface mining, post-mine land use and the process of restoring the land. More than 200 people signed a petition to support coal mining in our state as new members of the Friends of Coal.

Former Mountaineer Football Coach Don Nehlen will visit with ICG Eastern’s families during their Annual Outing on Saturday near Summersville.  Last week, Coach Nehlen and Coach Pruett also participated in George Washington High School’s annual football fundraising dinner in Charleston and they will tape the upcoming version of our television interview program, The Coal Seam, on Tuesday.  They will also assist in the production of radio ads promoting the industry and the upcoming Friends of Coal Bowl.  Those ads will begin immediately running on MetroNews’ statewide radio network.

A new round of Friends of Coal radio and television ads are being created that will launch with the beginning of the fall football season. The radio ads will feature FOC spokesmen and former WVU and Marshall football coaches Don Nehlen and Bob Pruett. The initial ads will focus on the Friends of Coal Bowl.

Future ads will also focus on the six annual scholarships – three at each school – funded by the bowl. A new television ad(s) that will also be launched on the web is also being developed that will focus on the scholarships and the commitment the industry has to education.

The Friends of Coal Bowl, September 10 in Huntington, is an exciting game every year, this year promises to be no exception as Marshall Head Coach and former WVU Assistant Doc Holliday leads his Thundering Herd against his former team. However, the Friends of Coal’s sponsorship of the Bowl is about more than just an annual football contest. The impact of this game will be felt across generations of West Virginians through the Friends of Coal Bowl scholarships given to three students at each of the two universities each year. These scholarships have funded the education for future doctors, teachers, counselors and other professionals whose mark will be made across our state and nation for generations.  This year marks the fifth class to be awarded the scholarships.

The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, September 2 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn in South Charleston.  Liberty Hydrologic Systems, LLC will be sponsoring the meeting with guest speaker Vic Sprouse.