The firehall whistle blew in town a few miles away, marking the big moment of the night: the crowning of the 2018 Bituminous Coal Queen at Carmichaels High School.

Craig Baily, retired school superintendent and master of pageant ceremonies, wore a black tuxedo and tails. Teenage girls packing the school auditorium shrieked.

Albert Gallatin High School senior Holly Lesko (“Go Colonials!”) crouched slightly in her heels and gown and smiled wide as the crown was placed on her head by Gary Wilson, superintendent of the Cumberland Mine, a coal operation 20 miles from the high school.

The crowning of the queen is a Greene County tradition that started in 1954, a time when bituminous coal fueled an economy — feeding, clothing and schooling generations. But King Coal’s grip is slipping.

Bituminous represents 90 percent of all coal burned in the United States, but most of the mines around Carmichaels played out years ago. Two big Greene County mines closed in the past year. Production at a third, Cumberland, has been falling in recent years.

Nowhere has the sting been felt more acutely than at the county’s five school districts, where 27 percent of the tax base — $414 million in value — is tied to coal. And that erodes with each chunk torn from the ground.

“It’s foolish to think of the coal industry as a source of economic sustainability for any length of time. It’s not,” said Helen McCracken, superintendent of the Central Greene School District, where the Emerald and 4 West mines are located and where 23 teachers and four classroom aides were furloughed to balance this year’s budget.

“In the next few years, three years, this coal’s going to be gone from the boundaries of the district. It’s a very stressful situation.”

While anyone in Pennsylvania can appeal the assessed value of their property with the hope of getting a lower tax bill, Greene County’s situation is unusual in that the value of land where coal is mined invariably goes down as the coal is depleted — dragging with it tax revenue for public education.

From 2014 to 2018, the value of the minerals under the 1,700-student Central Greene School District plunged 55 percent — to $63.5 million from $142.4 million as coal reserves dwindled. Between 2017 and 2018, 24 percent of the district’s mineral tax base evaporated through mining.

That has meant $2.3 million less to spend than four years ago.

And Central Greene is not alone. Other school districts in the county are hurt by coal’s decline, leaving them less money for pencils and paper and teacher salaries.

Crowning of the Bituminous Coal Queen

From left Abigail Claire Rocks, Micaela Ricco, and Sara Ann Hornick make last-minute adjustments to their evening gowns as they wait to compete in the 65th Annual State Bituminous Coal Queen Pageant on Aug. 19. (Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette)

Joelle Pahanish and Micaela Ricco warm up before the talent portion of the pageant. Pahanish sang an opera selection, and Ricco performed an acrobatic routine. (Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette) From left Sarah Blackstone gets a pep talk from dance teachers Ariel Laight and her daughter Melody Houck Laight before taking the stage. The judging is weighted heavily on interviews, although the talent show is part of the overall competition. (Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette)

Members of the Carmichaels Area Senior High School marching band wait for the start of 65th Annual King Coal Parade on Aug. 25. The parade was founded to honor the legacy of the coal mining industry. (Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette)

Spectators watch as Vivianna Gulino, center, the 2017-18 Little Miss Crucible, rides past during the parade. (Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette) From left Emma Cap, Zach Hillsman, Delaney Lohr and Blanee Fabean of the Carmichaels Area Senior High School marching band wait for the start of the parade. (Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette)

The King Coal era starting to fade?