The Great American Road Trip
Destination: West Virginia
Movie: October Sky (1999)
There is no question in my mind that West Virginia would like to be known for more than coal mining, and yet the industry so defined the state, that a movie set in a coal mining town seems a perfect introduction to a West Virginia stop on the Great American Road Trip. However, this movie shows that besides coal, some great people came out of West Virginia.
Be sure to click on over to Music Road for some coal mining music to play while you drive through West Virginia.
“Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky.“
I recently re-watched the ten-year-old October Sky, starring the adorable Jake Gylenhaal as Homer, the Rocket Boy. The movie affected me as strongly the second time around as it did the first, but this time I paid more attention to the background.
Armed with some research, I now know that the movie was actually filmed in and around Coalwood, West Virginia, a company town until the mine was closed some ten years after this story takes place. Despite the gritty reality of coal mining, some of the surrounding wooded hills and streams will lure travelers looking for some backwoods peace and quiet. And the 1950’s atmosphere is recreated nicely, particularly helped along by a terrific sound track of music right off the Hit Parade.
In brief, the Soviet Union’s 1952 launch of the first rocket to become an earth satellite inspires a group of high school boys, led by Homer Hickam, to experiment with rocketry. For Homer, the event that sets him on fire, also ignites a feud with his father, manager of the mine. One teacher believes in him, and the book and the movie form an education message that continues to be used in classrooms.
While the movie (I have not read the book, written by the real Homer Hickam) simmers in all sorts of delicious twists and turns, some pretty melodramatic, everything is based on fact. The most heart-warming scenes of the entire movie, for me, come at the end when pictures of the real-life rocket boys flash on the screen and we see how their “little hobby” led to solid careers, not one of which involves going underground in a coal mine.
You might want to take your Road Trip to West Virginia in October, not only to see the beautiful colored leaves on the hillsides, but also to attend the October Skys Festival in and around Coalwood.
My research also revealed an interesting fact about the movie title. Of course, the obvious reason for October Sky, is that the Soviet Union fired off the first rocket to orbit the earth in October, 1952. But in addition, there’s a bit of word play going on with the title of the book that spawned the movie, Rocket Boys. Your assignment for today is to figure that out and report in the comment section what you discover.
Other questions about West Virginia? It is bordered on the northwest by the ___River. It used to be part of what other state? It was the birthplace of several famous people including a Civil War General. The major industry is___.
You can find a whole bunch of other movie sites to visit in West Virginia when you take your own movie road trip to that state at this site researched by an academic.
Photo of Blackwater Falls State Park, courtesy of West Virginia Department of Commerce (www.wvcommerce.org) Photo of Jake Gylenhaal from web site–click on picture to go to site.
After reading all this- I must rent this movie.
West Virginia is a beautiful place. especially in the fall!
Living in Vero Beach with my aviator husband and space-crazy son, we love the space program. The shuttle launches north of us, and we can see it streak across the sky. Got another one coming up Friday!
We also loved October Sky and got the book. I can’t remember if I read it, but even if I did, I probably should read it again due to my lack of memory of it. Wonderful story.
Laura
.-= Laura Hartness hopes you will read blog ..Contest Results & Latest Movie Review =-.
October Sky is a favorite movie. Having lived in Roanoke, VA for 16 years, I’m familiar with the eastern edge of West Virginia. Bluefield, Princeton, the luxury of the Greenbriar Hotel, Cheat Mountain Lodge on the back side of Snowshoe, I remember them well. Yes, WVA has a coal mining history but don’t let it over-shadow the beautiful geography that surrounds it.
.-= Donna Hull hopes you will read blog ..Shoes for Summer Travel =-.
Caught October Sky in the theater. It was very moving. You did not mention the supportive science teacher science teacher, Miss Riley, (who is later diagnosed with Hodgkins). Teachers can be a spark that lights the fire. -r
A great time to visit the real Coalwood WV from the movie/book OCTOBER SKY is during the annual October Sky Festival. This year’s festival date is Saturday October 2nd. You can meet the real Homer Hickam and other Rocketboys, and NASA astronauts and cast members from the movie often make appearances. You can shoot off rockets from Cape Coalwood, tour the town made famous in the movie and more. It’s great fun! Visit http://homerhickam.com/coalwood to find out more.
There’s a festival for it?!? That is so cool! Thanks for the link.
Laura
I’ll let other commentors have the fun of posting the answers to your questions. West Virginia is more than worth a visit, be that real or virtual.
Alexandra, Cold Mountain is set in North Carolina.
.-= Kerry Dexter hopes you will read blog ..Music Road trip in West Virginia =-.
Loved October Sky. I’m heading down that way this month to do some genealogy research and reading Denise Giardina to get a feel for my recent ancestors’ lives.
I will have to come back and find out the answers to your questions. Here’s another: where was Cold Mountain set? I know they filmed in Romania. Somehow I attach West Virginia to the book in my mind.
.-= Alexandra hopes you will read blog ..Where Ahab Would Have Loved To Eat …. =-.
Alexandra: I see that Kerry answered your question about the setting of Cold Mountain. If you want to know where a movie was filmed, there is a great site that covers many movie locations Of course, it doesn’t have Cold Mountain on the site! If you had not told us, we would have to buy the book.
Wendy: Giardina’s book, Storming Heaven, sounds like another very good introduction to W.Va. Is that the one you are reading?
Burke Allen: Thanks for the introduction to the October Sky Festival. I’m sorry I didn’t find that as I was writing the post. I’ll go back and add it now, so no one misses it in the future.