A West Virginia mob

John Olesky, Class of 1950, went to Paradise and found Almost Heaven.

John Olesky (4th from left) at W.Va. Club meeting

It was the monthly meeting of the West Virginia Mountaineers Club in The Villages, Florida, with 185 West Virginians crammed into the Paradise Recreation Center.

"Jeopardy! host dressed as Mountainer

And one of the answers to the “Jeopardy!” questions – given by a woman in a Mountaineer costume -- was “Monongah.” It asked what town had the worst mining tragedy in West Virginia history.

Actually, the 362 killed officially (500+ according to Father Briggs and the gravediggers) in 1907 still is the worst coal mining toll in American history.

The huge turnout is only about half the membership.

There will a West Virginia Day Picnic on March 1 in The Villages, and the $18 tickets will be limited to the first 500 who send in their checks.

Sounds like there’ll be a turnaway crowd, which happens a lot in The Villages.

Our table won second prize in the “Jeopardy!” contest, which were Russell Stover Pecan Delights wrapped in gold and blue with “WV” emblazoned on them.

Sweet, huh?