Support

The last few months have been busy and full of constructive steps towards making the Blair Community Center and Museum functional and open to the public.

Already we’ve had hundreds of people come to the Museum, as well as two large tours from Coal Country Tours LLC. We even had a group of activists from India who visited in a cultural exchange.

This winter and spring we have even more events and tours planned. The Community Center itself has been a place for folks in Blair to hang out, play ping pong, have workshops, and meetings to address issues in Blair like frequent power outages. Excitement has been building for things like a Bingo night, an indoor yard sale, and a movie night.

But our heating system is broken and we are in current need of monetary support for that and a few other major things that will greatly help the Blair Community Center and Museum flourish.

Fixing the central heating- This is the most urgent (and expensive) item on the list, due to the onset of winter and the high cost of heating units. We have had multiple estimates, and fixing just the heating will cost thousands of dollars. Our efforts to preserve the mountain are centered at the community center, and Blair residents are wanting to use the space this winter for social events and organizing campaigns. Because of the imminent onset of winter, this is the most urgent request.

Water Filtration/Softener- We would like to have decent water running from the tap but right now we have the sulphur ridden, slightly red water instead. We use the same well as our neighbors and would like to be able to go in on a filtration system with them that could allow all of us to use our water without cringing.

Glass Cases- In order to fill out the museum and to display artifacts properly, we need to obtain a couple more glass cases. We have a lot of great artifacts to display, both from the battle and from the local area. Each time we get a glass case, it is over filled immediately. We are looking for used glass cases or someone who can build one.

All of this we will be doing in as economical of a way as possible. If you would like to donate either ‘in kind’ or with a money donation, it will go directly to Blair, the Community Center, and toward revitalizing a town that has borne the brunt of supplying America’s energy needs.

With your help, we are going to continue building people’s power in Blair. We are asking for solidarity, not charity, and if we have the resources we can do a lot of the hard-work in revitalizing Blair, working for environmental and labor justice in the area, as well as increasing the quality of life for all people of Appalachia.