Aug 15, 2008 By Steve Barrett 5 min read

CARMICHAELS – The 55th annual Bituminous Coal Show will be celebrated throughout the week of Aug. 16-23, proudly showcasing once again why “Coal is King” in Greene County.

The annual event, sponsored this year by the King Coal Association, the Carmichaels Lions Club and the Carmichaels Chamber of Commerce, will feature a wide array of activities, contests, exhibits, musical performances, rides and much more. This year’s Coal Show – which features the theme of “Coal – Fueling America’s Independence” – will begin on Saturday, Aug. 16, with the 18th King Coal/Sara L. Ruth Memorial Golf Outing, followed by the 19th King Coal Cheerleading Competition.

The King Coal Association renamed their annual golf outing earlier this year to the King Coal/Sara L. Ruth Memorial Golf Outing to honor the memory of the former longtime King Coal president Sara L. Ruth, who passed away in May. Ruth had served the King Coal Association and her community throughout her life.

The golf outing will begin at 8 a.m. at the Carmichaels Golf Course. Awards will be presented at 1 p.m., when the golfers have finished. At 4 p.m., the cheerleading competition will begin at the Carmichaels Area High School stadium. Gates will open at 2 p.m. Rain date for the event is Monday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. There will be an admission fee for this event.

On Sunday, Aug. 17, the 55th annual Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Queen Pageant will be held inside the Carmichaels Area High School auditorium. Doors will open at 6 p.m. There will be an admission fee for this event. Fifteen young ladies – including one representative from each of the five Greene County school districts – will compete for the coveted title of 2008 Coal Queen. (For additional information about the pageant and the contestants, please see page A8.)

A “Meet and Greet” informative session will be held on Monday, Aug. 18 inside the Carmichaels fire hall at 7 p.m. Prior to the Meet and Greet, entries submitted for the “Art of the Mines” contest will be judged. People wishing to enter the “Art of the Mines” contest can submit their entries, which must be ready to hang, to the Frame Up & Gallery in Waynesburg from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 15 and from 2 to 6 p.m. Aug. 16 and 17. The deadline is Monday, Aug. 18, at 12 p.m. at the Carmichaels fire hall.

All entries must be original and coal-related. Each entry has a fee of $5 with a limit of three pieces per person. The artwork must be picked up by Saturday, Aug. 23 in the evening in the fire hall or Sunday, Aug. 24 by 5 p.m.

Also on Monday, registration for the baby contest for King Prince and Princess will begin. Signups will be held all week until the winners will be announced on Friday, Aug. 22 in the fire hall at 8 p.m.

The Coal Show exhibits officially open on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the Pennsylvania Bituminous Safety Association’s State Mine Rescue Contest will begin at 8 p.m. at the Carmichaels Area High School stadium. Admission is free for the event. And at 6 p.m., the town square will be abuzz with excitement for the 42nd Children’s Pet Parade with judging. The parade lineup will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Yoskovich Funeral Home parking lot.

Thursday, Aug. 21 has another full lineup, including the Pennsylvania Bituminous Safety Association’s Pre Shift Contest at the Carmichaels Area High School Stadium at 8 a.m. Then, at 6 p.m., the 36th Bill Gideon Memorial Decorated Bicycle Parade will start. Parade lineup begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Yoskovich Funeral Home parking lot. At 8 p.m., the People’s Choice for the “Art of the Mines” contest will be announced.

On Friday, Aug. 22, Devon Allen Johnson and Ruff Creek will perform at the fire hall. The concert is being sponsored by CNX Gas. Tickets are on sale now at the Carmichaels Fire hall, Yingling Insurance, all three Brodak’s stores and Just Bill’s. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Coal Show’s final day, Saturday, Aug. 23, will be packed with a number of different events. Registration for the annual King Coal Car Show will be held from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Carmichaels Area High School stadium. The show will be held from 12 to 3:30 p.m., followed by the Charles Workman Memorial Antique Car Parade at 4 p.m.

The annual King Coal Show Parade will begin at 4:10 p.m., and Communities that Care will hold a dance at the fire hall from 8 to 11 p.m. for junior and senior high school students. There will be an admission fee.

In addition to these daily events, there will be a carnival on the fire hall grounds, as well as Bingo, coal souvenirs, food baked goods and exhibits at the fire hall every night throughout the Coal Show.

WANB Radio will be conducting a trivia contest every morning during Crazy Dougie Wilson’s broadcast beginning Aug. 18 through Aug. 22. Callers have the opportunity to win two tickets to the Coal Show each morning.

Last year, a Steelers/Pirates basket was raffled during the festival. This year, a basket featuring autographed items from 1950’s teen star Fabian Forte and his wife, 1978 Coal Queen Andrea Patrick, will be raffled off.

For more information on the 55th annual Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Show, visit www.kingcoalshow.com.

(Information for this article provided by the King Coal Association)