Mar. 4--The third Barnett Shale Expo kicks off at 1 p.m. March 11 at the Fort Worth Convention Center on 1201 Houston St.

Admission is free, but admission to the noon luncheon costs $50 per person or $800 for a table of eight.

Energy industry exhibitors will join representatives from area chambers of commerce, including Cleburne, at the EXPO.

"This will be our second time; we attended the first show," said Cathy Marchel, Cleburne Chamber of Commerce president. "I'm looking forward to going back and showcasing Cleburne again."

Chamber members will hand out Cleburne branding material, maps, tourism brochures, chamber directories and other materials, and be on hand to answer questions about Cleburne, Marchel said.

"We had a great response the first year," Marchel said. "We ran out of materials and had to send for more."

Cleburne's economic development director, Jerry Cash, will also attend.

"We got a good response before," Cash said. "And it's a good opportunity to network with people and companies in the area.

"I talked to representatives from a number of companies looking for land or locations last time. Several came down to look at Cleburne, and a couple located here."

Cash said he will pass out marketing material highlighting Cleburne's economic opportunities.

Representatives from the Burleson and Crowley chambers of commerce also plan to be on hand.

"The theme of the EXPO this year is Natural Gas-- Moving us Forward, and it is designed to answer questions about where we are today with the Barnett Shale," said Bill Thornton, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. "Now that so many people have signed leases and construction is under way on natural-gas pipelines, there are whole new sets of issues that need to be addressed."

To that end, various experts will deliver talks on topics such as royalties, the future of natural gas, pipelines, Barnett Shale careers and living with neighborhood gas wells.

The Barnett Shale, one of the largest and most active natural gas reserve fields in the United States, includes more than 11,000 active wells, most in rural or semi-rural areas.

The luncheon includes a talk by Dr. Ray Perryman, an economist, on the state of the Barnett Shale and its impact on the various counties.

For information, visit www.barnettshalexpo.com.

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