Community briefs

Choir competition

The Poca High School show choir Visual Volume will host the 12thedition of the Music Fest Show Choir competition Saturday in theGrand Hall of the Charleston Civic Center.

Sixteen choirs from West Virginia and Ohio will participate. Areaschools attending will be Cabell Midland, Capital, Herbert Hoover,Nitro, Riverside and Winfield high schools and Horace Mann andDunbar middle schools.

Middle school competition begins at 9:15 a.m., and high schoolmixed groups start at 10:15 a.m. The top six groups from the daytimecompetition compete in the finals beginning at 8 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the door. The price is $13 for an all-day, come-and-go pass. For more information, contact Joseph Kincaidat Poca High School at 304-755-5001, ext. 211, or visitwww.phsvisualvolume.org.

Rotary club

Gene Kitts, senior vice president of International Coal Group,will discuss the issues and challenges surrounding the coal industryin West Virginia and Appalachia during Tuesday's South CharlestonRotary Club meeting.

Rob Groom, club president, said, "Mining issues are in the newson an almost daily basis. Mr. Kitts' presentation will seek toeducate our group on the challenges facing this important industry."

The South Charleston Rotary Club meets at noon on the secondfloor of the Little Creek Golf Course Clubhouse. For additionalinformation, contact Rob Groom at 304-340-6961.

Trail club hike

Kanawha Trail Club will sponsor a hike on the Thurmond/MindenRail Trail at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Participants will carpool from Ohio and Randolph streets onCharleston's West Side.

The hike is about 6 1/2 miles on an old railroad bed with levelterrain. In case of bad weather, the hike will be in Kanawha StateForest.

The leader will be Cathy Mills.

Pancake benefit

Children's Theater of Charleston is hosting a pancake breakfastfrom 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Applebee's in South Charleston.

Members of the cast of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur'sCourt" will be on hand along with other volunteers for the theatergroup to serve breakfast.

Proceeds go to the non-profit organization. Tickets are $5 andcan be purchased at the door.

COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTS