Press Release

May 24, 2004

MEDIA ADVISORY

Attn.: Calendar Editors and Environment Reporters
Contact: Janet Fout or Abe Mwaura at 304-522-0246

WHAT: The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition’s 15th Annual Treehuggers’ Ball

WHEN: Friday, June 4, beginning at 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: Calamity Café on the corner of Hal Greer Blvd. and 3rd Ave. in Huntington

WHY: Witnessing and opposing the destruction that is mountaintop removal / valley fill coal mining is hard work. The Treehuggers’ Ball is a chance for folks who care about West Virginia's future to take time out to play, while still aiding the drive to end mountaintop removal, as all proceeds from the event go to OVEC’s Stop Mountaintop Removal campaign.

DETAILS: OVEC’s annual fundraiser is a spring-time tradition in Huntington. For a five dollar donation, patrons will be treated to the sounds of area musicians including Big Rock & the CandyAss Mountain Boys and Paige Dalporto. The musicians donate their time.

Collectors look forward to a Treehuggers’ Ball staple, the introduction of OVEC’s latest T-shirt edition. This year’s design features a new design by Spencer ceramic artist Joseph Lung (design e-mailed upon request). On the back is a quote from Alice Walker: “Activism is my rent for living on this planet.”

Lung, who in April won an Artist Fellowship Award from the WV Division of Culture and Humanities Commission on the Arts, has donated a vase, which will be the among the items available in a silent auction, a new addition to the annual Treehuggers’ Ball.

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