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| Hope Fest to offer bigger fireworks |
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6/23/2017
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
The community’s only public Independence Day weekend fireworks show will be the one Saturday, July 1, at Hope Fest.
Hope Fest is presented by KentuckyOne Health-St. Joseph Mt. Sterling and Aetna Better Health.
Gates will open at 5 p.m. at Botts Park. Music will begin about 6 p.m.
Featured artists this year are 7eventh Time Down, which was the most played band in 2016 on the K-Love Christian radio station, event organizer Rebecca Peck said. The band is from Somerset.
Other performers include Nicole Coley from Nashville, Tenn., and Kingdom Folk, a worship band from Owingsville.
Fireworks start at dusk.
Peck said the fireworks show will be much larger this year thanks to Greg Waters, owner of Dairy Queen, who has signed up as a sponsor for the fireworks this year.
There will also be a variety of merchant and food vendors. The choices of food are numerous, Peck said. The public can choose from Mexican cuisine, typical festival foods such as elephant ears, as well as burgers, steak sandwiches from the Cattleman’s Association, pork tenderloin sandwiches, Chick-A-Biddy and Kona Ice, she said.
There will be a $1 raffle with items such as a Yeti Cooler, Reds tickets and University of Kentucky lower level football tickets.
There will be a face painter and balloon artist, as well as the characters Spiderman and Moana sponsored by Mt. Sterling Pediatrics.
The cost is $20 per carload or $30 for church vans. You are asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket. There is no seating. Parking is available at Mt. Sterling Elementary School.
The event attracted about 2,300 visitors last year and organizers are hoping for 3,000 to 4,000 this year.
All proceeds go to help Hope Hill Children’s Services, which serves youths throughout the state of Kentucky from birth to age 18. It operates a children’s home for troubled girls and a foster care program.
In addition to entertaining the crowd, Peck said the volunteers who put on the event will attempt to spread awareness about all the wonderful things that Hope Hill provides to the children it serves.
Peck said the funds are critical to the operation because of dwindling state reimbursement money.
She encourages the public to come out to a “family friendly community event that is Christ centered.”
“It’s a chance to connect with the community or just really have fun with your family,” Peck said. “Go out to Botts Park. It’s really beautiful out there. Be encouraged and hear some positive music and enjoy good fireworks show to celebrate Fourth of July.”
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