The
Historic Town of Matewan brought back the legendary Hatfield's &
McCoy's for the Reunion of the Millennium. Through the hard work of
the Matewan Area Community Action Team, the streets of Matewan were filled
by thousands of Hatfield & McCoy descendants united once again for
this three day fun filled weekend.
Events began Friday night with Civil War
camps getting set up along with the local Boy Scouts, to watch the
movie of the Hatfield's & McCoy's shown outdoors under the star filled
sky. Also Friday night, a Cruise In was held at RC's Country Store
with plenty of food and entertainment along with hayrides from the Cruise
In to the streets of downtown Matewan.
Saturday morning began with a traditional
Rotary pancake breakfast in front of City Hall. Between 9:30 and
11:00 the 1/2 marathon runners finished up in front of Matewan City Hall,
while the full marathon runners had yet another 13.1 miles to go for their
finish line at the Coal House in Williamson. Starting at noon the
Muzzle Loading Demonstration kept everyone on their toes with their loud
shots. Jessie Shepherd took the stage in front of City Hall at about
1:00 and entertained the folks in Matewan. At 2:00 Doctor Lutz from
Marshall University appeared at the Matewan Depot as William Anderson
(Devil Anse) Hatfield. At 3:00 p.m. the streets of Matewan were
taken over by the Union and Confederate army's during the first Civil War
Reenactment ever to be held in Historic Matewan. Shortly after the
reenactment everyone headed to the Herbert B. Akers Community Center for
the 6:00 p.m. Mountain Dinner Theater hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Red
Jacket. After dinner, the streets of Matewan were once again full
for the performance of Eddie Nenni and the Jaguars, hosted by the Matewan
Dance Studio. During the entire evening everyone enjoyed hayrides through
the streets of Matewan. At 10:00 p.m. the evening came to a climax
with the skies being filled with fireworks for more than twenty minutes,
but the night was not over! Eddie Nenni and the Jaguars continued to
entertain the crowd until midnight.
Sunday was the day for unity, with Reverends
Bo McCoy and Terry Hatfield conducting services on the Buskirk Bridge,
where the Hatfield's & McCoy's met once again over the Tug River. The
services on the bridge lasted for a little over an hour and was hosted by
the West Virginia Department of Tourism. Following the Bridge
Service, everyone proceeded to Matewan City Hall where shortly after
noon a double shotgun wedding was held, officiated by Judge Mike
Thornsbury. Immediately following the wedding the Town of Matewan
was recognized as a official "West Virginia Celebration 2000"
community and was presented a sign by the Honorable Cecil Underwood,
Governor of West Virginia. Governor Underwood spoke to the town for
about ten minutes and then presented the Matewan High School football
coach, Yogi Kinder, a grant for $40,000 for the completion of the Matewan
High School athletic complex. This grant was complemented by an
additional $10,000 donation from the Allara family of Matewan in memory of
their son, Richard Allara. Governor Underwood led everyone to the
banks of the Tug River for the start of the first ever Hatfield &
McCoy "tug over the Tug." This classic tug of
war across the Tug River was won by the McCoy's. The remainder of
Sunday afternoon included a pig roast dinner, gospel music, games,
hayrides, and music by the Waylon and Willie Revue.
Below you will find addition information and
photographs of the weekend's events. Please take a little time to
enjoy this section. Your comments, questions, and feedback are
always appreciated by e-mailing us at matewan@a-aautoparts.com. |