October 19 Little Cities Day Packed With Activity
Voices Project; Quilt Show; Miners Registry Publication; New T-Shirt Featured

Voices of the Little Cities is the theme for this year’s Little Cities of Black Diamonds Day to be held from Noon-5PM on Sunday, October 19 at Miller High School on the Southern Local School Campus at Hemlock. The event, in its fourteenth year, celebrates the history, culture, natural environment and modern day civic activity of the Hocking Valley Coal Fields of Athens, Hocking, Morgan and Perry Counties.
Visitors to this year’s event will enjoy theatrical readings from a group of area actors who have created an hour long production entitled Voices of the Little Cities (see story page 1).
The publication of the first volume of the Miners of the Little Cities Registry will be released and available for sale during the event. The registry features the names of miners past and present from Athens, Hocking, Perry and Morgan Counties. Over 3,000 names have been entered in the electronic directory since its launch at LCBD Day one year ago. A Miner’s Registry table will also allow for new names to be entered.
LCBD Day will mark the 20th Anniversary of the Southern Perry Quilt Show. Dozens of quilts, old and new, will be on display throughout the day. Visitors will be asked to choose their favorite quilt. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced at 4PM by long time show organizer Elaine Higgins. The show, first held in Shawnee, joined with Little Cities Day in the 1990’s after Shawnee School closed.
The musical lineup for this year’s event features musician Dave Borowski who will perform at 1:15PM with a blend of “swing” music that draws upon jazz, blues, and country & western influences. Borowski is a vocalist with several bands in the Athens area including the Billy Cats and the Wing Nuts. At 2PM, the Millcreek Elementary Choir will give their annual performance under the direction of Connie Alfman. Vocalist and acoustic guitarist Mike Boley of New Lexington, a regular for years at German Village Clubs in Columbus as part of Boley & Fink duo, will close out the afternoon at 4:15PM with a variety of popular songs from the 1960’s and 70’s.
Three area citizens will be called forward during at 2:30PM for the annual Little Cities Spirit Awards ceremony. The names are not revealed until the announcement is made.
A multi-panel exhibit Diamonds In The Rough: The Legacy of Coal Mining in Ohio’s Hill Country will be on display again this year This exhibit first premiered at the Bob Evans Farm Museum in Rio Grande, Ohio. It features a chronological detailing of coal mining and its legacy in Ohio.
As usual, Little Cities of Black Diamonds Day will provide a gymnasium full of history, cultural, nature and civic exhibits. Exhibitors are faithfully recruited each year by Council volunteer Glenna Palmer. Last minute registrations can be made by phoning her at 614-866-8687.
A dining area featuring soups, sandwiches and homemade pies will be provided by the Tecumseh Theater Group throughout the afternoon.
The Little Cities Council souvenir tent will unveil a new Little Cities of Black Diamonds long sleeve t-Shirt which names the updated list of over seventy coal towns, many no longer in existence, that make up the Little Cities microregion.
The event is sponsored by the non-profit Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council with financial support from the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Humanities Council. Admission is free, although donations are accepted. For a detailed itinerary or directions contact the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council at 740-394-3011 or via e-mail at lcbd@ohiohills.org. Further information about the event can also be found at www.littlecitiesofblackdiamonds.org.