ASHLAND - Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Steam Train will open for its 50th season on Sunday.
An anniversary celebration is scheduled to coincide with the annual Pioneer Day, which marks its own anniversary, the 20th, on Aug. 18.
Pioneer Tunnel, among the state's leading tourist attractions with 40,000 visitors per year, offers the chance board mine cars and travek 1,800 feet into the Mahanoy Mountain into what was once a working mine. There, visitors hear explanations about how coal is mined, complete with storyboards and up-close examinations of the equipment used. It is a constant 52 degrees deep inside the earth.
Outside the mine, people can ride the Henry Clay, a steam locomotive built in the 1920s that travels a three-quarter mile track around the Mahanoy Mountain. Riders see the Mammoth Strippings and a bootleg mine, and can see the Centralia mine fire during the train ride.
Pioneer Tunnel, at Oak and 19th streets, is open only during weekends in April, with tour times at 11 a.m. and 12:30 and 2 p.m. It is, however, closed on Easter weekend.
In May, September and October, weekday tours are at 11 a.m. and 12:30 and 2 p.m., and weekend tours are held continuously from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, mine tours and train rides run continuously from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition to mine tours and train rides, the 50th anniversary celebration and 20th Pioneer Day will include a number of special events at the adjacent Higher-Up Park. Music will be performed by oldies group Memory Lane, and there will be a craft fair, petting zoo, face painting, historical displays, food stands, bingo games and free shuttle service from 23rd and Center streets.
For more information, or to arrange a group tour, call Pioneer Tunnel at 875-3850.
On the Net: www.pioneertunnel.com