Fall events held, planned across museums, campuses

The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine held its fifth annual Fall Festival on October 24, offering discounted tours, live music, food, vendors and family activities as the attraction prepared to close for the season. The event also featured local author Drexel Sammons signing his collection of scary stories. Separately, the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield planned Halloween and half-term activities, including creative workshops, a mining-history experience, an outdoor scavenger hunt and a Halloween trail. In Wonthaggi, a historical society dinner will recognize the people who helped preserve the former State Mine’s Eastern Area as a heritage and tourist attraction.