May 25, 2026 - An annual Mountain State tradition is just under a month away, the Boone County community is getting ready for the West Virginia Coal Festival with this year’s kids pageant!

The event kicked off at noon Saturday. Each year, it gives kids ages six and down to under a year a chance to work the stage and compete for some prizes. The event kicked off at noon with the youngest contestants going first.

At the pageant, Mrs. West Virginia Coal Festival Sara Stinnet says there’s a benefit to having these pageants in the kids’ local community.

“Absolutely it’s a great experience. It’s great for the community. It’s great for the girls to build their confidence and stage presence,” she said. “I would like to tell everyone to come out to the Coal Festival in Madison, West Virginia! We’ll have a lot of bands there, a lot of food, there’s a big carnival.”

The 2026 West Virginia Coal Festival kicks off on June 16 in Madison and will wrap up on June 20 with a 9:30 p.m. performance by Country Artist Colt Ford.

WOWK 13 News will update this article when the West Virginia Coal Festival announces the list of winners!