Patch towns, kielbasa, Yuengling beer, ethnic festivals, pierogi sales, doing the hokey pokey dance at weddings — the coal region has no shortage of mainstays that are part of its heritage.

Another of those is car racing. At one time there were 15 dirt tracks in Schuylkill County. One remains: Big Diamond Raceway near Minersville. Fans of the sport have been researching Schuylkill’s history and are starting a hall of fame, planning to induct members at an inaugural banquet for Coal Region Racing on April 6 at Landingville Fire Company in Landingville.

Two members of the group, Lee Reading of Pottsville and Dan Goss of Cumbola, spoke at the Schuylkill County Commissioners’ meeting Wednesday.

“Back in 1995 a couple of us got together and had a reunion, and it was great to get together all these guys who hadn’t seen each other for 20 years,” Reading said. “We decided to start a hall of fame for Schuylkill County. We had 15 dirt tracks which I think was more than any other county in the state.”

Just like it sounds, dirt racing is a type of car racing on oval tracks with dirt or clay surfaces. It started in the United States before World War I and steadily grew in popularity. There are hundreds of dirt tracks throughout the country, and it is still the most common form of auto racing in the country.

Organizers have listed 25 people to be inducted into the hall of fame at the banquet. Sadly, 16 of those have passed away but will be represented by family members. The inductees include drivers, car owners, photographers and others who were involved with the sport.

“Some people didn’t race, but they were part of the history and helped preserve the history,” Reading said.

The commissioners are onboard with the project. All spoke in favor of the venture and said that the commissioners will issue proclamations to honor each inductee.

“Racing back then was more or less grassroots,” Goss said. “We put the cars together ourselves and we did it for fun.”

At the Hall of Fame Banquet, doors will open at 4 p.m. with dinner at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per person with a cash bar. Opening remarks will be made by Scott Herring, “The Last Anthracite Photographer” with music by DJ Jimmy Payne.

For more information and for tickets, contact Mike Clay, 570-294-2669, and www.coalregionracing.com, or find coalregionracing on Facebook.