W’burg, Corbin, Jellico, London having July 3 fireworks

If fireworks are your thing, then you will have plenty of opportunities to view them locally on Saturday, July 3, and a couple more opportunities on Sunday, July 4.

Williamsburg, Corbin, Jellico, and London are all having fireworks displays on Saturday. Barbourville and West Knox Volunteer Fire Department will be having fireworks displays on Sunday.

Williamsburg

Williamsburg will feature Independence Day celebrations Friday, July 2, and Saturday, July 3.

“We are looking forward to it. Finally, we are getting back out. I am excited. I hope the whole town is excited. We went through a Fourth of July last year that was just terrible. No celebration. No togetherness. Divided. Wearing masks. Not wearing masks,” said Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison.

“I am so looking forward to getting together and enjoying the festivities at Kentucky Splash Saturday and then the fireworks.”

On Friday, City Heat will perform at part of the summer block party series, which will take place from 8 – 11 p.m. at Bill Woods Park. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the Williamsburg Tourism Center.

The block parties are free and bring your own lawn chair events.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., the “Let Freedom Ring” bell ringing ceremony will take place at Patriot Park next to the Hutton School of Business, which is a replica of Independence Hall. It is located on the campus of the University of the Cumberlands.

34^th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Daniel Ballou will be the keynote speaker for the event.

Dr. Jeff Smoak with the University of the Cumberlands Music Department will lead the singing. A men’s quartet will sing Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The ceremony will culminate with the ringing of a replica of the Liberty Bell to commemorate the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The bell will be rung 13 times, once each for the 13 original colonies, which later became the 13 original states.

The bell ringing ceremony is sponsored by the Captain Charles Gatliff Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and the William Whitley Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Williamsburg festivities will culminate Saturday evening at the Kentucky Splash Waterpark. There will be no entry charge to the waterpark after 7 p.m. Saturday.

The festivities will include a hot dog eating contest at 7:30 p.m. beside the gift shop. There is a $1 entry fee.

“If you have not seen it, you need to come out just for that,” Harrison noted.

At 8 p.m., there will be a duck race with a $500 grand prize.

Numbered rubber ducks will be sold and entered into the race, i.e., will be dumped into the Lazy River and “race.” Ducks can be purchased at the admissions area and proceeds from that event will go to the Williamsburg Police Department Shop with a Cop event.

In addition, Lifeguard Olympics will also take place at the waterpark Saturday evening.

Fireworks will take place about dark.

Corbin

Corbin’s Independence Day celebration will take place on Saturday, July 3, at The Corbin Arena.

Fireworks are slated to begin at 9:45 p.m.

Corbin Tourism Director Maggy Monhollen said the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. featuring music by County Wide and Bourbon Branch.

“They are going to bring a crowd with them,” Monhollen said of County Wide which played the last fireworks show in 2019. County Wide has previously played at NIBROC and regularly appears at Austin City Saloon.

Monhollen said it wasn’t the pandemic rules that stopped the fireworks show in 2020, but the economic impact.

“The coronavirus killed the tourism budget,” Monhollen said noting that the lack of revenue forced tourism to cut expenses. “Being able to have this event shows that the tourism economy is starting to get healthy again.”

The City of Corbin, The Corbin Arena and the Corbin Tourism Commission are all sponsoring the festivities.

Jellico

Jellico’s festivities will take place on Friday, July 2, and Saturday, July 3, with fireworks Saturday evening. The events will all take place in Veterans Park in downtown Jellico.

There will be an open mic all afternoon on Friday with the headliner “Monroeville” from the Pigeon Forge area performing from 7 – 10 p.m.

From 1 – 10 p.m. on Saturday there will be gospel music featuring Jim Sheldon, Roger Cureton & Friends, The Hagers, Susan Hicks, Candy & Jeremy, the Williamsburg Gospel Barn House Band, Rescued, Caleb Howard, The Blackburn’s, New River Rising, Heaven’s Heirs, The Manning’s, Gary Cureton, The Calhoun’s, Christian Pilgrims and more.

Festivities will begin both days at 10 a.m. with crafts, concession stands, bake sales and more.

Fireworks are slated for 10 p.m. Saturday.

There is free admission to all the events, and visitors are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and umbrellas and stay all day.

For more information, contact Jake Bennett at the Jellico Tourism Office at (423) 912-8244.

London

London’s festivities will take place on Friday, July 2, and Saturday, July 3.

The Party in the Park on Friday will feature live music from Superfecta and Yesterday’s Wine, and will take place at Town Center starting at 7:30 p.m. Town Center is located next to London Elementary School at 500 N. Main Street.

Food and beverage vendors will be on hand and don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs.

London’s annual “Red, White and Boom” celebration, which bills itself as “Southeast Kentucky’s Largest Fireworks Display,” takes place on Saturday in College Park off Highway 192, which is next to the Laurel County Public Library.

Festivities will begin at 4 p.m., and fireworks will begin at dusk.

The event is presented by Somerset Community College and City of London Tourism.

In addition, the London Community Band will be performing its annual patriotic concert at 7 p.m. on July 3 at First Baptist Church in London.

All events are free.

Barbourville

Barbourville will be holding its Independence Day festivities on July 3 and July 4 with fireworks taking place on July 4.

Festivities start on Saturday, July 3, with Market on the Square taking place from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. At 4 p.m., the Knox Street Thunder car show will take place, and at 7 p.m. there will be a hotdog eating contest.

The Silhouette Band will be performing live music starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, at Barbourville City Park, and fireworks begin at dusk.

This is a bring your own lawn chair event.

For more information, call (606) 545-9674.

Barbourville Tourism and the City of Barbourville are sponsoring the event.

West Knox fireworks

West Knox Volunteer Fire Department will be having fireworks at dusk on Sunday, July 4, at its base in Corbin.