If you enjoy history, heritage, and ethnic foods, then the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum was the place to be in Lansford on Sunday during this past Labor Day weekend.

With coal mine tours, museum tours, blacksmith demonstrations, and delicious homemade ethnic foods, there was something for everyone at this year's "Old Fashioned Miner's Picnic".According to No. 9 Mine President Dave Kuchta, "the weather was just beautiful and we had a good turnout in spite of the fact that there were other big affairs also going on in several nearby communities"."We did real good with the mine tours and the food sales were also good". "We're quite pleased with the day".Kuchta also noted that this year they have set records every month except July which was a month with a lot of rain and cold weather. "We've done fantastic". "This year we're 1,200 tours more than last year at this time and we still have more events to come yet such as a big RV gathering, a Boy Scout Jamboree, and the Haunted Mine Tours coming up in October".He summed up by saying that "this year was a very good year for the No. 9 Mine and we are well pleased."Jan LeVan, No. 9 Mine's Correspondent, Secretary, and Office Manager added that "we've seen a lot of growth this year at the No. 9 Mine and we're encouraged that in the midst of a recession we are still growing mostly due to the fact that we have good staff and volunteers". "We are always looking for more volunteers and we hope that people in the community and other organizations will work in conjunction with us as partners so that we can help each other and see some unification within our communities so that we can continue to grow and share the history of those who came before us."She continued by saying that "anyone who would like to come out to support the No. 9 Mine and their community and help us with our Haunted Mine Tours or any of our other events would be most welcome to please come, share their name address and phone number and tell us what they would like to do." "Any and all gifts, talents and abilities are always welcome."The upcoming Haunted Mine Tours, which are open to the public, will be held several times each day on October 17th and 18th.Anyone desiring additional information about the Haunted Mine Tours or any other upcoming events can call the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum at (570) 645-7074.