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Coal Camp Reunion this weekend in McDowell County

KIMBALL — Hundreds are expected to converge upon the small McDowell County town of Kimball this weekend for the 10th annual First Sgt. Jesse T. McPeake Memorial Coal-Camp reunion.

The gathering starts Friday and continues through Sunday, July 10. As its name implies, the coal camp reunion is a gathering of former residents of the Kimball area, who are returning home for the weekend. The annual event is sponsored by the McDowell County Visitors and Veterans Center in Kimball.

“The reunion usually brings in about 700 people that weekend for Kimball,” Manuel Horeluk, an event organizer, said. “It brings a dead town back to the life.”


Horeluk said this year’s coal camp reunion will open Friday with a coal show and caboose tour by Jay Chapman from 6 to 8 p.m. This will be followed by a dance in the park, and live music by the Hillbilly Mastermind Band. Horeluk said refreshments will be sold during the day.

The coal-camp reunion will continue on Saturday with a poker run. Sign-up for the poker run will begin at 8 a.m., with riders leaving at 9:30 am. Horeluk said cash prizes for the best and worst hand will be awarded, along with a 50-50 drawing, and five $20 cash door prizes.

The return time for the poker run is Saturday at 4 p.m. Also Saturday, there will gospel singing at the park featuring Marcella Koger from 11 to 11:45 a.m.; Jennifer Tilley from 12 to 12:45 p.m.; and the Community of Praise Choir from 1 to 2:30 p.m. There will also be a coal show and caboose tour, a flea market, a book signing by Jay Chapman and food.








This year’s gathering is named after Jessee “Jay” McPeake, who passed away last year during the coal-camp reunion.

“This year was a very, very hard year to plan,” Horeluk said. “My brother, Jay McPeake, passed away (last year) during the coal camp reunion and he was West Virginia’s and McDowell County’s highest decorated Vietnam veteran.”


McPeake served four tours of duty in Vietnam from 1966 to 1971. His awards included the Silver Star, five Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart earned while serving with the infantry and 1st Air Cavalry.

Horeluk said the roadway extending from K&D Kimball up to Bottom Creek Road was recently named the U.S. Army First Sgt. Jessee T. McPeake Memorial Road by the state Division of Highways. A formal dedication ceremony for the road will be held at a later date.