It's a glorius day on Auk Road next to the welcome sign. (If you've read the book, you know what Auk means.)
Coalwood celebrities and Rocket Boys who attended the October Sky Festival. O'Dell Carroll, Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Roy Lee Cooke, Billy Rose, Jack Likens. They seem to be in the midst of a conversation...
(l to r) David Goad, author and President of the Coalwood Historical Society; Jack Likens, rival Rocket Boy not mentioned in Homer's book; Doc Likens (Jack's brother), featured character in 'Sky of Stone.' Doc and Jack's father was the principal of Coalwood School for many years. Their mom was a teacher.
Homer Hickam graciously signed this "Rocket Girl's" Coalwood books. Note that I am wearing a t-shirt purchased at the US Space and Rocket Center during our 2009 Spring Bike trip to Huntsville. Could I possibly be a bigger space geek?
We were interviewed during the festival by Bill Archer, a reporter from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph who described the day in detail. I am thrilled that our interview was included in the article about the festival. A shortened version of Bill's article is shown below. Our interview is at the end.
Hundreds of visitors come to Coalwood’s October Sky Festival
By Bill Archer
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 10/3/2009
COALWOOD — A clear blue October sky was the limit Saturday as a sun-splashed crowd full of dreamers of all ages saw the stars and enjoyed the warmth of a McDowell County fall afternoon.
“I don’t know how we came here,” Garrett Ripa, 18, of Cleveland, Ohio said. Ripa is a student in the Galileo and Hypatia class of Virginia Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of engineering Diversity. Ripa traveled from Blacksburg, Va., to Coalwood with a group of about 30 students in the class.
Ryan Hubbard, from Collinsville, Va., a graduate student at Tech who teaches students in the program said that when he mentioned the idea of traveling to Coalwood, “Almost all of the students leaped out of their seats to say yes,” he said. “As part of our community service work, we brought gliders, slime and rockets to reach out to the younger generation to get them interested in the field of engineering.” Hubbard is in Tech’s aerospace engineering masters program and hopes to pursue a career in that field.
When the dignitaries arrived for the welcoming ceremony, Natalie Canerday, the actress who portrayed Elsie Hickam in the movie, “October Sky” was obviously moved by the reception she received from several hundred people attending the event. Elsie Hickam is the mother of Homer Hickam, author of “Rocket Boys,” the book that the movie, “October Sky” was based on.
This marks the 11th annual October Sky Festival in Coalwood. The event is hosted by the Cape Coalwood Restoration Association, and the concept was ignited by the widespread positive reaction to Hickam’s book. Hickam grew up in Coalwood and was the leader of a rocket club at Big Creek High School.
He said the book “entered the national consciousness with a message of hope and understanding that the world has needed,” he said. “I’m honored to be the vessel that this message came through.” He said that it is the people of Coalwood that make the community special. “They trust in God, but rely upon themselves,” he said. “I am proud to be from Coalwood.”
Bert Allen served as master of ceremonies to keep the program flowing. Hickam and Red Carroll arrived together on a Coalwood Volunteer Fire Department truck. Carroll delivered a moving opening prayer, comparing the event to a homecoming. Other rocket boys including Roy Lee Cook, Billy Rose and Jimmy “O’Dell” Carroll participated as well as fellow Big Creek schoolmates, Emily Sue Buckberry, Dr. Bobby Likens and Jackie Likens who lead a rival rocket club at Big Creek who weren’t mentioned in the book, Hickam said.
Sid and Gail Spragins from Summerville, Tenn., took a 15-day motorcycle ride that terminated in Coalwood. “I picked up a copy of ‘Sky of Stone’ about six weeks ago, and I had to come here,” Gail Spragins said, referring to another one of Hickam’s books about growing up in Coalwood. “Sid wanted to go to Helen, Ga., so we went there first and then came here. Just last night, we met Bobby Likens in the motel, now here we are."
[Note from Gail - Bobby Likens was featured in the book 'Sky of Stone' which was about the summer after Homer's freshman year at Virginia Tech when Homer and Bobby worked together in the Olga Coal mine. Bobby earned his tuition to attend West Virginia University School of Medicine by working in the coal mine each summer. Known as "Doc," Dr. Robert L. Likens is a family practice physician in Florida.]
With Allen urging her on, Canerday issued her famous line from the movie: “Just don’t blow yourself up,” and the day-full of activities was underway.
— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
The back side of the home of Olga Coal Mine foreman, Homer Hickam Sr and his family. Note the sign for Homer Hickam Lane!
Bill Bolt was in charge of the Olga Coal Mine machine shop and helped the Rocket Boys create the rockets. I was thrilled to meet him and his wife, Reba, who worked at the Coalwood School.
Steve Date is a Minneapolis teacher who became interested in Coalwood during a field trip. He just released a documentary, 'Welcome to Coalwood.' He is also the Vice President of the Coalwood WV Historical Society.
Our new friends at the motel invited us to a dinner and party after the festival. At some point in the evening we piled on to the bed in the "Elvis Room." Doc Likens records the incident. Sid captured this photo. Our trip to West Virginia has really been memorable. I'm so grateful to Sid for his willingness to travel to coal country to attend a festival that he really wasn't interested in attending.
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