Published: October 04, 2008 07:55 pm      

Hundreds land in Coalwood under October Sky

COALWOOD — Ernest “Red” Carroll prayed for a beautiful day on Saturday and the Lord delivered with a near perfect day for launching rockets with little-to-no wind and few if any clouds in the October sky above Coalwood.

Hundreds of people came from near and far to participate in the 10th Annual October Sky Festival in what has become a life-imitates-art event, reminiscent of the conclusion of the movie, “Field of Dreams.” The real-life annual pilgrimage by hundreds of people of all ages from throughout the United States to southern West Virginia was inspired by the book, “Rocket Boys” by Homer Hickam, and the Universal movie, “October Sky,” based on the book.

“We’ve read the book like 100 times and saw the movie about that many times as well,” Kathy Falchow of Riverside County, Calif. said. She and Lee Falchow traveled from southern California to Coalwood for the first time in their lives to experience Coalwood firsthand. They immediately recognized Red Carroll, and posed with him as he autographed copies of their books.

“Oh, this is gorgeous country,” Kathy Falchow said.

As visitors from throughout the nation awaited the arrival of Hickam and his fellow rocket boys, Albert Fowler of Squire was busy showing his hand-made bird and bat houses to visitors. “You don’t see a lot of bat houses,” Fowler, 80, a retired coal company home remodeler said. “When I display my caboose bird houses around here, I put the ones with the N&W logo out front, but when I go to Pence Springs, I put the C&O caboose bird houses out front.”

Fred Applegate and his wife, Debbie, drove from Greenfield, Ind., to Coalwood just for the day. “I’m 65, and I grew up in about the same time as the rocket boys did,” Applegate said. “I could relate very well to the movie and Debbie and I decided to drive down here and see it for ourselves.”

Burk Allen, a former Logan County radio personality who helps publicize Hickam’s books, served as master of ceremonies for the event held on the front porch of the old Olga Coal Company club house. Peggy Blevins, one of the original event organizers welcomed the crowd and introduced Carroll, who started the event off in prayer. Carroll thanked the Lord for the day and prayed He would keep everyone safe.

Eddie Belcher, a representative of Gov. Joe Manchin, expressed how much the October Sky Festival means to everyone in the state, and Blevins honored two faithful festival supporters who had passed away in the past year.

Allen began introducing dignitaries attending the event. Dreama Denver, widow of the late comedic genius, Bob Denver, took a bow and Grace Corrigan, mother of Christa McAuliffe, the teacher/astronaut who died in the Jan. 28, 1986 explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle waved to the crowd. Roger Samples, West Virginia’s Teacher of the Year, also attended the event.

Rocket boy Jimmy O’Dell Carroll thanked the crowd for attending the event and said that he will continue to attend “as long as Red is here,” he said of his father, Red Carroll. Billy Rose, another of the young men who came to be called “rocket boys” expressed his appreciation to the people of Coalwood.

“As long as they will continue to do the work they do, we, on behalf of the rocket boys, will keep coming here,” Rose said.

“Welcome back to my hometown,” Roy Lee Cook said.

“It’s pretty amazing how the world has taken the rocket boys to heart,” Hickam said. “I am pleased that the book has touched a chord around the world.” Hickam said the message in his book is that “education is the key to a good life,” and said it is important to approach goals with “passion, planning and perseverance.”

Dr. Tom Jones, a NASA astronaut who has traveled in space four times said he saw the region’s beautiful colors from space when he was on board the Shuttle Endeavor on Oct. 4, 1994. Blevins presented Jones a figurine of a coal miner, made of coal. “This is better than an Oscar,” he said. Jones’s ancestors were coal miners in the anthracite coal mines of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., area.

Hickam recognized Michelle Pieler, of Braden River High School as the national winner of the “Reach For the Stars Rocket Contest,” and also recognized the Cougar Rocketry Team of Yough High School in Herminie, Pa.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com