The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) and the Viburnum community are celebrating the rich mining history of southeast Missouri at the 39th Annual Old Miners’ Days festival.

The community event runs Friday through Sunday, October 3–5, and features entertainment for all ages including free tours of Doe Run’s Buick Mine on Saturday.

  Community activities get underway Friday at 5 p.m. with the annual Tiny Tot Contest and Miss Viburnum Scholarship Pageant at the Elmer P. Beard Gymnasium in Viburnum. Saturday events begin at 9 a.m. in the outdoor Viburnum Center. Visitors 12 or older may sign up for a free underground tour of a working Doe Run mine. Tours begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

  “Our free underground mine tours are a big attraction,” said Randy Hanning, general manager of Doe Run’s SEMO Mining and Milling division. “One of the most common reactions we get during a tour is sheer surprise at just how large and spacious our mines are and the enormous equipment and facilities we have underground. These operations provide the minerals we use in our everyday lives.”

  Guests will travel through the shaft more than 1,000 feet underground and see the company’s Buick Mine, including heavy mobile equipment, the maintenance shop, and rock pillars full of valuable ore. Free bus transportation will be provided to shuttle guests the short distance from the Viburnum Shopping Center to the Buick Mine and back.

  Throughout Saturday, guests will enjoy live music, kids’ games, food trucks and booths, craft vendors, a community parade, and much more. This year, a Fall Rocks attraction located in the old Dollar General building, will run from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday offering indoor interactive activities, including “gold” panning, a mineral trivia game, dress like a miner, and much more.

  In the evening, Christian the Magician will provide comedy magic for the whole family. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Elmer P. Beard Gymnasium. Doors open at 6 p.m. Sunday activities include a community church service hosted by local area churches at 11 a.m. in the Viburnum Center and a car show that runs from noon to 2 p.m.

  Learn more about Old Miners’ Days, including a full schedule of events, at https://www.oldminersdays.com/.