SUTTON, W.Va. — Noted author and humorist Jim Hightower will be the keynote speaker on Saturday, Sept. 25 as the West Virginia Environmental Council (WVEC) has its 20th Anniversary Celebration, “WVEC’s History, Present and Future” at Holly Gray State Park in Sutton, W.Va.
The fall conference, the largest WVEC event of the year, takes place Friday through Sunday, Sept. 25-27.

 The West Virginia Environmental Council will hold their 20th Annual Fall Conference and celebrate 20 years of environmental policy work in West Virginia.  This conference is expected to draw large crowds of WVEC members, citizens and organizations from around the state and region.  Registration is open, with on-site lodging available.
 

Hightower will serve as the keynote speaker at 10 a.m. Saturday morning with a book signing to follow.

National radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow, Jim Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.

Twice elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Hightower believes that the true political spectrum is not right to left but top to bottom, and he has become a leading national voice for the 80 percent of the public who no longer find themselves within shouting distance of the Washington and Wall Street powers at the top.

Hightower is a modern-day Johnny Appleseed, spreading the message of progressive populism all across the American grassroots.

He broadcasts daily radio commentaries that are carried in more than 150 commercial and public stations, on the web, and on Radio for Peace International.

Each month, he publishes a populist political newsletter, "The Hightower Lowdown," which now has more than 135,000 subscribers and is the fastest growing political publication in America. The hard-hitting Lowdown has received both the Alternative Press Award and the Independent Press Association Award for best national newsletter.

A popular public speaker who is fiery and funny, he is a populist road warrior who delivers more than 100 speeches a year to all kinds of groups.

He is a New York Times best-selling author, and has written seven books including, Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time To Take It Back; If the Gods Had Meant Us To Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates; and There's Nothing In the Middle Of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos. His newspaper column is distributed nationally by Creators Syndicate.

There is also a Friday reception, a panel of WVEC founders Saturday evening; issue-oriented workshops all day Saturday; 2010 Legislative Priority Setting; nature outings; children’s program; a silent auction; booths; live music Saturday evening and other weekend highlights.

For more information contact:  Frank Young at 304-372-3945 or call the WV Environmental Council Office at 304-414-0143.

Hightower is also speaking that Saturday, Sept. 26 at an ACLU dinner in Charleston. The cost to attend the dinner is $75 per person. For reservations, phone 304-345-9246 or mail a check payable to ACLU-WV Foundation to P.O. Box 3952, Charleston, WV 25339-3952. Contributions to the ACLU-WV Foundation are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law under the IRS Code 501(c)(3) except for $23 per ticket. Please RSVP by Monday, Sept. 21.

Go online at www.acluwv.org for more info.
 

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