The rich history of Pennsylvania's coal region was on full display Sunday in Lansford.

Hundreds of visitors descended on the town for the 10th annual Coal Miner's Heritage Festival on the grounds of the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum.The event has sustained success, No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum President David Kuchta said, thanks to the industry's rich tradition in the area."It's good we keep this festival going, because if we didn't, the pride in the heritage would slowly slip away," Kuchta said. "Little by little, the coal lands are going away. All the buildings are torn down one by one. Events like this are what we have left and the turnout year after year really tells you there is an interest and a pride associated with coal."The celebration featured music, food, vendors and various demonstrations of machinery such as a coal shaker by Robert Reese Jr.Many guests took advantage of the underground tours of the No. 9 Coal Mine, which opened in 1855 and closed in 1972."It was really neat to go down in there and get a perspective of where these guys worked," said George Wright of McAdoo. "I think a lot of people would think twice before complaining about their jobs if they got to experience the risks these miners took on a daily basis."Lehigh Anthracite also offered bus tours of its mining operations.One of the highlights of the day, however, was the coal-shoveling competition."We have five or six guys who are really into it every year," Kuchta said. "They really shovel like mad to get one of those three trophies we give out. It makes for a great competition."United States coal use fell 9 percent in 2016, yielding to energy sources such as natural gas, oil and renewables.It's a statistic that Kuchta finds disheartening."The fact is that oil and gas will eventually run out," he said. "There is enough coal here in the valley to last 100 years. I still like good old coal."Though the numbers might not support it, Kuchta thinks there may be a resurgence of coal use in the near future."People think it's dirty and it's such a big pollutant, but they're finding out it's not the case," he said. "Coal gets blamed, but look at how many cars are on the road and how many planes are in use on a daily basis. There are a lot of things to put the blame of pollution on besides coal."For the visitors walking the grounds Sunday, however, the downfall of coal was the furthest thing from their minds."A lot of us had family members who made a career working in the mines," said Ryan Walk of Tamaqua. "It's wonderful to come out and celebrate. It has been a real educational experience."