King Coal Festival 2024

Thank you, City of Williamson Events Committee for selecting Friends of the Tug Fork River to receive the 2024 King Coal Festival Community Service Award. 

Vice President Vicky Evans with Board of Directors Members Grace Williams and Madison Mooney accepted the pre-award certificate at a beautiful outdoor awards banquet. President Pete Runyon, Secretary Mark Kemp, and Treasurer John Burchett are shown with the award during the festival.

Big Sandy Conservation and Recreation meeting

May 2, 2023

A contingent of FotTFR board members was hosted by a new group, Big Sandy Conservation and Recreation, at the historic lock and dam in the Big Sandy River between Fort Gay, WV and Louisa, KY. We then attended a Fort Gay City Council meeting and accepted an invitation to a private residence in Pritchard, WV for a cookout and boat tour of the river. The group hopes to promote the historic area around the dam and the entire river for tourism purposes. It is both an interesting and beautiful area to visit. Thank you Mayor Joetta Hatfield and Paul Heaberlin for all the incredible hospitality.

The Big Sandy River starts at the confluence of the Tug Fork and Levisa Fork then flows 29 miles to the Ohio River.This lock and dam is just downstream of the head of the river. Built in the late 1800's, it was the first needle dam in the United States and aided in river transportation of people and commerce until the railroads were constructed several years later.