By Ronica Shannon
BEREA — The state’s annual “I Love Mountains Day” is scheduled for Thursday in Frankfort, but for those who may not be able to make the trip, the Madison County Chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) will host a local event to raise money and awareness.
The first-ever “Berea Loves Mountains” will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Black Feather Cafe, 216 Adams Street.
“It would be great if we raised some money for KFTC’s great work, but it’s also important that members share an opportunity to really come together,” said local KFTC member Megan Naseman. “Not everybody can take off work to go to Frankfort. We really wanted to bring some local attention to the issue and point out how ridiculous it is to blow off the tops of mountains for coal.”
Some of the “Berea Loves Mountains” events include “Muffintop Removal,” a muffin bake sale with proceeds going to KFTC, live music by Mud Pi and booths will be set up for visitors to write a Valentine to state legislators urging them to stop mountaintop removal. There also will be an “I Love Mountains” haiku contest.
The idea for the local event came from work being done by surrounding KFTC chapters such as Lexington and Louisville.
“They’ve been having events locally around the ‘I Love Mountains’ lobbying day in Frankfort so that folks who can’t make it out to Frankfort can still participate in some way,” Naseman said. “This event is going to be a great opportunity to learn more about mountaintop removal and about Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.”
The annual “I Love Mountains Day” will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 at the capitol in Frankfort. The KFTC will be working to persuade legislators to pass the Stream Saver bill and other clean energy legislation.
Those interested in attending the event in Frankfort can visit www.kftc.org for information about registration, the day’s schedule, maps and carpooling information.
The next local KFTC meeting will begin at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 22 at the Eco Village’s Child Development Lab, 125 Jefferson St.
The Berea KFTC field office is located at 435-R Chestnut Street, Suite 2, and can be reached at 986-1277.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
