The No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford held its annual AACA Classic & Antique Car Show and Old-Fashioned Miners Picnic on Sunday.

The car show, hosted by the Anthracite Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America, featured more than 50 classic and specialty vehicles displayed around the museum grounds.

“We love to see the cars,” said Jennifer Romero, visiting the area from the Lehigh Valley. “My father always used to show his 1929 Model A at shows, so I love to see the cars and trucks on display like this, and enjoy the food!”

The food, all homemade, included halupki, haluski, pierogies, barbecue, hot dogs, a bake sale and beverages.

Proceeds from the picnic benefit the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum.

“Our goal is to preserve the No. 9 Coal Mine site here in Lansford as a museum and mine tour, so the future generations can understand coal’s role in the industrial revolution and in building our area,” explained Zachary Petroski, president of the Panther Creek Valley Foundation, the nonprofit organization that runs the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum.

“The items in the museum are donated by people who worked in the mines and family members of those who worked in the mines. They wanted to see the items go to a good home, so others can appreciate what they did.”

Cub Pack 765 of the Panther Valley sold meat sticks, and the museum was open, plus tours of the mine were available.

The mine train takes visitors approximately ¼ mile into the mine. Passengers disembark and then go on a walking tour of the mine, led by a guide who explains what they are seeing. While they take the tour, the train comes back out of the mine and picks up the next load of passengers, taking them into the mine, then picking up the previous group to return them to the loading zone outside the mine.

The picnic and car show are the first of three major events hosted by the Panther Creek Valley Foundation. The next event will be the 15th Annual Coal Miners Heritage Festival, to be held July 10. There will be food vendors, crafts, tours and more. The third event is held Labor Day weekend.

The No. 9 Coal Mine was first opened in 1855 by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The mine operated from 1855 until June 22, 1972, making it the longest continuously operated deep Anthracite coal mine in the world.

For more information, visit the website at no9minemuseum.wixsite.com/museum or call them at 570-645-7074, or email: no.9minemuseum@gmail.com.