This weekend the Perry County Chapter set up a voter registration booth at the annual Black Gold Festival in downtown Hazard.  Cody Montgomery, while working the booth said, “The Black Gold Festival is a celebration of the coal economy in east Kentucky, but the cool weather, concessions, and atmosphere of the festival lures so many, it also offers a chance to engage community members and highlight KFTC’s voter campaign and register voters.”

Perry County’s new Steering Committee representation Cleveland Smith also registered voters that day, at a festival he has attended his whole life.  He said of the festival, “Black Gold is a festival centered around the coal industry, so it’s important for us to use this space to introduce new and alternative perspectives.”

Among the sites, smells, and sounds of Black Gold was the worlds largest pinball machine (located right in front of our booth), blooming onions, and a large number of ‘Coal for Kids’ balloons.  But the Perry Chapter registered nearly a dozen voters, sold three t-shirts, and gained 2 local members.  Not bad for a Friday afternoon. 

Pictured to the right: Steering Committee Rep. Cleveland Smith, Organizer Tanya Turner, and long standing member Russell Oliver.