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Today was a beautiful day in the mountains of southern West Virginia. I had the pleasure of attending the fifth annual Earth Day Festival held at the Folk Life Center near Pipestem State Park in Summers County. You can get an idea of what was taking place by visiting the EarthdayWV website by clicking here. A high point for me was participating as a member of a panel with folks from the Coal River Mountain Watch, the Bluestone Conservatory and others talking about the serious problems arising from mountaintop removal in our water supply. We had a nice crowd that was there to celebrate the earth, express themselves about the environment and to listen to some great music. You can learn more about Coal River Mountain Watch by clicking here, and the Bluestone Conservatory by clicking here. A paid employee of Al Gore's Repower America was in the audience. She is now working full time in West Virginia representing that organization. The best part for me was meeting new friends and becoming reacquainted with old friends from the 2008 campaign including Jim McNeely who was a candidate for the state Senate in the last election. The music started out with a girl band from Stages Music Studio in Princeton. A picture of this amazing group can be seen below.  
All in all the day provided a great start to spring in southern West Virginia. |
