Rocket Fest, held October 17 at Pipestem Resort State Park in Pipestem, drew the region’s attention as the first organized festival tying Homer Hickam’s Coalwood legacy to a school-focused science program. The all-day event brought Hickam, the McDowell County native whose memoir Rocket Boys inspired the film October Sky, together with Roy Lee Cooke, a fellow member of the original Rocket Boys group, for storytelling, student engagement, and a public rocket launch.

State parks, the Pipestem State Park Foundation and community partners organized the festival with support from Conn-Weld Industries. Activities throughout the day included educational booths, hands-on demonstrations, food, and book distribution aimed at connecting students with science, technology, engineering and math opportunities and celebrating the county’s coal-mining heritage. Event listings and coverage were confirmed in advance and on the day of the event by multiple outlets and the official West Virginia State Parks events page.

For McDowell County, where population decline and persistent poverty have hollowed economic options and strained community resources, Rocket Fest was more than a single-day attraction. Community leaders framed the gathering as an investment in youth enrichment and aspiration, leveraging a recognizable local figure to demonstrate pathways from curiosity to careers in STEM fields. The festival’s emphasis on practical activities and access to books and mentors highlighted a gap that many rural communities face: sporadic enrichment opportunities rather than sustained, equitable investment in education and workforce development.

The public health implications of events like Rocket Fest extend beyond career pipelines. In a county coping with economic stressors that are closely tied to health outcomes, initiatives that expand educational prospects and social supports can reduce long-term risks associated with poverty, including chronic disease and behavioral health challenges. Engaging young people in constructive, skill-building activities also contributes to social cohesion and mental well-being, factors that local health partners increasingly recognize as determinants of population health.

Organizers and state partners noted the festival’s role within broader West Virginia state park initiatives to increase public engagement and learning opportunities. While the presence of Hickam and Cooke gave Rocket Fest symbolic resonance—drawing on Coalwood’s history of ingenuity—the event also underscored systemic needs: sustained funding for rural education, transportation and broadband access to support remote and continuing learning, and coordinated policies that connect local schools, employers and health systems.

At this early stage, some practical measures of impact remain to be verified. Attendance numbers, direct student feedback and any follow-up programs tied to Rocket Fest were not immediately available and will require post-event reporting from the state park foundation and local media to assess short- and long-term outcomes. For McDowell County residents and policymakers, the festival offers a hopeful model: leveraging local heritage to open new horizons for young people while highlighting where continued investment is needed to translate inspiration into opportunity.