Aug 21, 2015 5 min read

CARMICHAELS – “Coal Built America” is the theme of the 62nd annual Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Show, a weeklong event starting today to celebrate the area’s coal mining heritage.

The King Coal Association, which organizes the event, is expecting a good year, KCA President Mike Riggen said Thursday.

The coal show had its start in 1954, a time when hundreds of miners were losing jobs, partly as a result of mechanization in the mining industry.

The organizers decided to hold a festival to celebrate the industry, which was so important to the area’s economy, and to give the community a boost.

Sixty-one years later, the coal show continues, and now more than ever a little boost in morale is needed, especially with the future of the coal industry looking increasingly bleak.

The coal show will begin today with the King Coal 5K Race at 8:30 a.m. at the fire hall and the King Coal/Sara Ruth golf outing at 9 a.m. at Carmichaels Golf Club.

It will be followed Sunday by the annual coal queen pageant. The pageant will be held at 7 p.m. in Carmichaels High School auditorium and this year features candidates representing 13 school districts.

The first coal show was organized, Riggen said, “to make people more aware of the coal industry and what it means to this area.”

Many of the small towns in eastern Greene County, including Crucible, Nemacolin and Bobtown, probably wouldn’t exist if not for the mining industry, he said.

Times were rough back at the time of the coal show’s inception, and many of the mines in the area were working only one or two days a week, Riggen said.

In addition to promoting the coal mining industry, organizers “hoped to get a little good morale going” among people in the community, he said. KCA hopes that holds true today.

This year, Riggen said, the show might possibly benefit by an unexpected event, the Carmichaels Area School District’s recent decision to move the start of school back a week.

“Kids will be able to spend a little more time at the carnival. They won’t have to go home to do homework,” he said.

Carnival rides will operate from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday on the grounds of the Carmichaels fire hall, with extended hours from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday.

The rides are being provided by Thomas Family Amusements. This is the third or fourth year the company has provided amusement rides for the show, and they’ve increased the number of rides each year, Riggen said.

As in past years, the festival will include mining exhibits, parades, musical entertainment and plenty of food, baked goods and coal souvenirs.

Mining exhibits will be on display inside the fire hall from 6 to 10 p.m. beginning Wednesday.

They will include a collection of historic artifacts associated with coal mining from Brice and Linda Rush and from the family of John “Roof Tar” McCann in his memory.

The annual children’s pet parade will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Carmichaels. The line-up will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Yoskovich Funeral Home parking lot.

The bicycle parade and children’s mini-vehicle parade will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, with the line-up also starting at 5:30 p.m. in the funeral home parking lot.

This year, children’s mini-vehicles will for the first time be allowed in the parade. The change was made because it appears not as many children ride bikes these days, Riggen said. Last year, the number of participants was low.

Those who wish to be a part of the parade can still ride bikes but they can also push wheelbarrows, pull children’s wagons or ride battery-operated children’s vehicles, he said. No gas-powered dirt bikes or ATVs are permitted.

The King Coal Baby Prince and Princess Contest also will return. Entries will be accepted at the fire hall from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, when the winners will be announced.

DJ Dave Plavi will entertain on the carnival grounds from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

On Friday, the coal show will feature music by Mark Davis on the fire hall grounds. Davis bills himself as a “one-man band,” Riggen said.

Several popular events are scheduled for Saturday, the last day of the show, Riggen said.

The Charles Workman Memorial Car Show will be held at Wana B Park from 12:30 to 3 p.m. It usually attracts more than 100 entries, Riggen said.

People will then line the streets of Carmichaels for the annual parades. The Charles Workman Memorial Car Parade will start at 3:50 p.m. followed at 4 p.m. by the 62nd annual King Coal Show Parade.

Rounding out the evening will be carnival rides at the fire hall and a performance from 7 to 10 p.m. on the fire hall grounds by the local band the Hamptons.