Community Turns out for Heart of the Highlands

In early October, Mountain Watershed Association hosted the sold-out “Heart of the Highlands” piano concert on Sunday, October 4 at Sparks in the Valley Cafe in Indian Head, PA. 

At this annual event, the Bravo Piano Club presented a thoughtful blend of nature-inspired music to the evening. The theme was “Mountains, Valleys, and their Rivers,” and musical selections ranged from contemporary to classical. Members of our deep mine committee generously donated food and beverages to create a festive fall evening. 

Proceeds from the evening benefitted Mountain Watershed Association’s legal efforts to protect Indian Creek watershed and Four Mile Run watershed from potentially devastating impacts from the Rustic Ridge Coal Mine expansion, which was recently approved by the DEP and legally appealed by MWA. 

Tickets sold out well ahead of the performance, and this year’s crowd was our best-ever turnout for the event. The mountain community has been energized by movement in the Rustic Ridge mine permitting process and MWA’s “Unsuitable for Mining” petition. The Environmental Hearing Board recently ruled that PA DEP must accept and review that petition, which aims to protect water and land in the Laurel Highlands from harmful effects of coal mining. 

“This is always a special night to gather and celebrate our advocacy efforts to protect our community and natural resources from expanding mining in the heart of the Laurel Highlands,” says Stacey Magda, MWA’s Director of Advocacy. “We look forward to sharing fresh dates for 2027!”

Learn more about our deep mine campaign!