July Jam

Shawn McPeek, age 20, of Virgie, Ky. passes out free hugs during an intermission at July Jam. July Jam is an annual Christian concert and is held in the Pikeville city park this year.

Benny Gooslin, a 30 year-old preacher plays with his son Benjamin Gooslin, age 2, both of McCarr, Ky. during July Jam. The band on the stage is Days Divide from Lexington, Ky. who headlined the first night of the two day event.

Days Divide a band from Lexington, Ky. headlines the first of two night of July Jam. The concert is organized to give Pikeville youth something positive to do with their time.

The crowd at July Jam a christian rock concert held in the Pikeville city park bow their heads for a prayer.

After a long day of rain and christian rock and roll the sun sets during the Saturday headliner Fire Flight's set.

Fans pump their fists in the air while christian rock band Fire Flight played at July Jam.

The lost block

This is a project that I worked from the start of my internship at Appalachian News-Express with one of the writers. In the paper it will be ran as separate stories in the Friday and Saturday editions for a couple of weeks.


The Pinson Hotel is reflected in puddle after a morning rain in Pikeville. The lines around the puddle are there because Pike County's new judicial center will soon be built on the land where the hotel, other businesses and historical buildings sit in Pikeville. The purpose of the lines are to survey where pipes and underground power lines are.

Robert Newsome who is currently living in the Pinson Hotel goes up the street back to the hotel with daughter Tristin Newsome. Newsome will soon have to look for a new place to live since the Pinson Hotel will soon be torn down to make room for the new Pike County Justice Center.

On Saturday, July 26 the tenants at the Pinson Hotel had to be moved early in the afternoon. Robert Newsome brings luggage down to move.

Robert Newsome puts the lock on the storage building where he is keeping his things after being told he had to move out of the Pinson Hotel. Robert Mullins (red) helped Newsome move out.

Larry Webster and Micheal Pack share a laugh in the office that Webster has been in for close to 30 years. The office will soon be torn down to build a new Pike County Justice Center.

Pikeville Lawyer Larry Webster has been in his office on Main Street for nearly 30 years. The block Webster's office is on will be torn down to build a new Pike County Judicial Center. Webster has been an outspoken opponent of the construction of the new judicial center.

Renovations are being performed to the new space where Lawyer Larry Webster will be moving his offices. The part of the block his old office is on will be removed to build a new Pike County Justice Center.

Rosa Chaney who has been working at Jet One Hour Cleaners for about 40 years talks to long-time costumer Sheriff Charles "Fuzzy" Keesee. Keesee says that he has been a costumer almost as long as Rosa has been at Jet.

Rosa Chaney fixes a hem on Sheriff "Fuzzy" Keesee's pants.

Tim Bailey speaks about Jesus as a break from the hard rock bands that play at Worship Extreme, which is an event held by Grace Fellowship through the youth group.

Mike Stewart, a member of the Grace Fellowship pastoral team, takes communion with members of the church. Before this building was Grace Fellowship Church it was Wedding Movie Theatre, which was once the only movie theatre in Pikeville and now will soon be torn down to make room for the new Pike County Justice Center.

Billy Justice who is the garage Foreman at Racoon Auto details a car will Lloyd Keene talks with the maintenance man from the Pinson Hotel. They will soon have to move to make room for the new Pike County Justice Center.

Ester Justice cuts the hair of Danny Ratliff who has been a costumer for about six months. Justice has owned the barber shop on second street for 37 years and will soon be removed to build the new Pike County Justice Center.

Oh what a weekend.

First I got a chance to go see one of my current favorite bands.

Hardcore-punk band Energy from Stoughton, Mass. plays the Armory in Williamson, W.Va. on Friday Night. Energy recently released their second album Invasions Of The Mind on Bridge-9 Records.

Saturday I covered an event in downtown Pikeville.


Adults and children alike gathered in the Pikeville City Park for Hillbilly Christmas in July Kids Day in The Park on Saturday. Hillbilly Christmas in July raises money for the Shriners Children's Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

Then it got a little crazy.


Some of the crowd from Hillbilly Christmas in July Kids Day in The Park and many others from around Pike County gathered in the River fill Ten parking lot to burn some rubber. The city is considering making the tire burnout a monthly event.

Sunday morning it still wasn't over.


Bikers from all around gathered in front of Harley Davidson of Pikeville to prepare for the Hillbilly Christmas in July ride from Pikeville to Lexington where they will have another parade for the Shriners Hospital for Children.

Then you would think work for the weekend would be over, but I get a call from one of the bands who played the show on Friday. They wanted me to do some promo shots for them. Turns out that they have an interesting story that I am now working on writing for the Appalachian News-Express.


Rivals a local hardcore-punk band poses for a portrait (front) Coty Williamson who is one of their guitar players and also an Army Scout, (back left to right) Taylor Worley, guitar; Jordan McCown, drums; Danny Ocean, Vocals; and Jarrod May, bass. Williamson recently came home on leave from Iraq to spend time with his family and band mates.



Busy weekend and an eight-hour day of toning, but this is what I live for, love it.

Wrecked

Two people were injured in a wreck on Friday when Theodore Parker tried to cross the north bound lane of traffic on US 23 in a GMC pick-up and came into the path of a GMC suv driven by Alexis R. Collins. Parker looks on as one of the injured is loaded into the ambulance and Collins is comforted by sister-in-law Renee Boyd, a by-stander and a fire fighter.

Inside the mountian

Late Fireworks

The city of Pikeville canceled their firework display on the 4th of July, so, they had the show on the 6th of July.

firework feature hunting

First I went to Fourth on the Fork in Elkhorn City






Then I traveled back to Pikeville for the cities fireworks and a little more feature hunting before dark.




After a while the city decided to postpone their fireworks due to rain, so, I found other fireworks.






On Sunday, Coal Run Village had their firework display.










Pikeville's fireworks are rescheduled for tonight, so, maybe more tomorrow.

Chemical War-Scare

This morning a chemical threat was posed to the United States Court House in Pikeville, KY. A chemical substance was found in powder form. The streets were blocked off and a Decontamination crew was brought in.

Selections from Justice Wedding