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Welcome to the Historic Matewan
Hatfield-McCoy Reunion's Web Page
June 9 thru 11, 2000

     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

Cruise In

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Pancake Breakfast

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Marathon

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Civil War Reenactment

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Mountain Dinner Theater

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Saturday's Events

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Sunday's Events

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The Weddings

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Tug of War

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