Here is another fun event for this weekend…the first annual Memorial Weekend Benefit Poker Run, Car Show and Bar-B-Q at the Lions Club Pavilion this Saturday. This event is sponsored by the Pennington Gap Lions Club and the Lonesome Pine Car club to benefit Allen Culbertson’s many medical expenses. The poker run registration is 9 to 11 and will leave right after that. The car show is 10a to 12n and the Bar-B-Q dinner is included with the price of the Poker Run or $10 a plate for everyone else. Details and a chance to win a free dinner on their Facebook page, like Lee County Fair or click here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-County-Fair/157219069869

More about the Gathering in the Gap music festival that happens this Saturday at the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park…

that’s Aaron Davis from the Museum. He says the induction ceremony is not to be missed is 11am on Saturday, followed by a book signing with John Carter Cash. All the details on the web site, gatheringinthegapmusicfestival.com

Local High school students being invited to attend the Mountain Empire Community College Governor’s Schools June 10 to 28. The three week program will feature a variety of subjects and students completing the course will receive 8 college credit hours. Areas of study include drama, forensic, entrepreneurship, social networking, art illusion and engineering design. Applications are due this Friday! Check it out at mecc.edu/govschool.

We have had a series of reports from Fred Pelle, interim director of Lee Regional Medical Center to update us all on potential changes. So if you still have questions or concerns, Mr. Pelle encourages you to reach out…

It’s a sad morning with at least 51 confirmed dead, 20 of them children and hundreds injured in the two mile wide devastating tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma Yesterday. If you want to do something we understand from news reports the best thing is to donate to the Red Cross. You can text 90999 and $10 will be charged to your cell phone. Or you can donate blood to the Red Cross or even volunteer for cleanup.

This summer could be the beginning of your child’s musical career. The Mountain Empire Community College is currently accepting applications for the 9th annual Mountain Music School to be held on campus July 22-26 dedicated to the preservation and continuation of Appalachian music and cultural heritage. Open to students from ages 10 and up and kids who do not have an instrument will be provided one for the week at no cost. There are some scholarships available, too. For information, visit the website at www.mountainmusicschool.org or call (276) 523-7489.

Our Pennington Gap Town Council meets tonight, 6pm and among other things, they will hear reports from each of the departments, and recognize two awards for the Water Plant—one for excellence in operation and performance and one for most outstanding effort by a “green” locality. There will be an update on the town’s new website, discussion of using metal detectors at Leeman Field Park, discussion of yard sales at the park and talk of advertising the 2013-2014 budget.

We are thinking about our neighbors to the East this morning after that terrible accident in Damascus. The driver was in the parade and suddenly accelerated, plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a parade suffered from a medical condition and did not cause the crash intentionally. The crash happened around 2:10 p.m. Saturday during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus. About 50 to 60 people suffered injuries ranging from critical to superficial. The driver of the car also hospitalized. No fatalities were reported. The festival continued their events on Sunday.

medical condition and did not cause the crash intentionally. The crash happened around 2:10 p.m. Saturday during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus. About 50 to 60 people suffered injuries ranging from critical to superficial. The driver of the car also hospitalized. No fatalities were reported. The festival continued their events on Sunday.

Gathering in the Gap Music Festival is this Saturday and Aaron Davis from the festival gets us ready..

. The festival takes place in Big Stone Gap, off U. S. 23, at the corner of W. First Street North and Wood Avenue.