Our very own Derek Keeling, son of Roger and Sandi Keeling, who most recently was the Broadway star of the revival of GREASE, appearing on NBC’s “You’re the One That I Want,” and portraying Johnny Cash in the international tour of Million Dollar Quartet will be doing a “Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash” on Saturday, September 28, 2013 in South Charleston at Labelle Theater, 311 D Street, South Charleston.  It will begin at 7 p.m. The general admission will be $35.00 and can be obtained online at:  www.derekkeeling.com (all major credit cards accepted).  Purchased tickets will be available at will call at the theater only.  A portion of the proceeds will go to HospiceCare.

The West Virginia Coal Forum with co-hosts the Chamber of Commerce of Martinsburg & Berkeley County, Jefferson County Economic Development Authority, Berkeley County Economic Development Authority, the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and the Eastern Panhandle Business Association conducted a meeting on Wednesday, September 4th to discuss the significance of the coal industry and coal exports to the Eastern Panhandle, our state and the nation at the Martinsburg Holiday Inn. Coal Forum Co-Chairmen Chris Hamilton, WV Coal Association, and Fred Tucker, UMWA, welcomed the more than 70 event attendees and set the stage for the meeting.

The annual Rocket Boys Festival will be held Oct. 4-6 in Beckley. The event celebrates the lives of the four original “Rocket Boys” whose story was told in the award-winning movie, “October Sky.” This year’s event will begin October 4with a screening of the film at 9 am in the Governor Hulett C. Smith Theatre at Tamarack. Later that day Rocket Boy Homer Hickam, whose book was turned into the movie, will host a writer’s workshop at the facility. At 7:30 a concert featuring Johnny Staats and the Delivery Boys will be held at the Woodrow Wilson Auditorium in Beckley.  Friends of Coal Spokesmen, Coach Don Nehlen and Coach Bobby Pruett will also participate in this year’s event.

SOUTH CHARLESTON – The Friends of Coal spent a great day at the South Charleston location of Cabela’s Saturday, August 31, celebrating Coal Miner Appreciation Day.

West Virginia Coal Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton, Sen. Art Kirkendoll (D-Logan) and bow expert Frank Addington, Jr. were on hand to greet the shoppers at the store along with staff from the Friends of Coal organization.

Charleston, WV (Aug. 15, 2013) – According to information released by the West Virginia Division of Commerce in February, West Virginia coal exports grew by 40 percent last year, increasing from $5.3 billion in 2011 to $7.4 billion in 2012. West Virginia coal accounted for 49 percent of U.S. coal exports in 2012.

 

The West Virginia Coal Forum – an organization representing both labor and management in the coal industry – and co-host West Liberty University will conduct a meeting to discuss the significance of coal exports to our state and national economies from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 15 at West Liberty University’s Highland Energy Center, located in Triadelphia, West Virginia (near the Cabela’s retail store).