It won’t be long now. Just a few weeks before cities across the country tune up the bands and pop the corks July 4th in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Bardstown will be among the celebrants as the country looks back on a turbulent history that has carried it from the colonial days to the Space and Digital Ages, and because we just can’t wait, the party will start a day early.
Kicking off the festivities July 3rd will be an hour of patriotic music performed on One Court Square from 11:00 a.m. to noon.
According to volunteer organizer Wilma Sorrell, local musicians will include in their repertoire both beloved standards such as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful,” and at least one tune being introduced for the first time.
“It was written by a Nashville songwriter and is called Everyone Loves Bardstown,” Sorrell says.
Following the concert, a parade will roll, departing from W. Stephen Foster Boulevard and Broadway. It will loop through town before making its way back to the starting point.
Everyone loves a parade, and Sorrell says this one will have 60 entries, which include colorful floats, vehicles decked out in red, white and blue, marching groups, dancers, and walkers who have felt the spirit move them.
Prizes for the most patriotic theme in each category will be awarded.
America’s big day – July 4th – will start off in a unique fashion. At 9:00 a.m., a Time Capsule containing items collected 50 years ago will be opened so that those in attendance can see what was all the rage in the year 1976.
Kids, you probably won’t even recognize some of these objects (ask your parents about that strange looking rotary telephone and the two-pound directory that went with it).
After the laughter dies down, there will be an opportunity for those attending to place an object from the current times back in the capsule.
It will be opened on the country’s 350th birthday in 2126 (and yes, Iphones will be just as funny then as rotary dials are now).
But the party is just getting started. Beginning at 6:00 p.m. and continuing to 11:00 p.m., My Old Kentucky Home State Park invites everyone to experience Homecoming at My Old Kentucky Home.
Staff and volunteers at the Park, along with the Bardstown/Nelson County Chamber of Commerce are hard at work to ensure that there will be something for everyone.
Youngsters will love the Kids Activity Zone where a full complement of activities from face painting (in red, white and blue, of course) to inflatable bounce houses will keep them entertained and engaged.
Adults are more likely to be drawn to the local vendor booths where Bardstown’s artistic community will showcase their wares (yes for purchase).
Also on the menu will be food truck vendors ready to please the palate with a diverse array of culinary offerings.
Be sure to bring some spending money as there will also be a selection of wine, beer and cocktails to sip on while strolling the grounds and listening to the various musical acts making things a bit more celebratory on the rotunda stage.
It all leads up to a fireworks display worthy of a grand old lady marking two-and-a-half centuries of a wild, wonderful, unpredictable and unforgettable life.
However, America’s isn’t the only birthday Bardstown is celebrating on July 4th.
Songwriter Stephen Foster was born July 4,1826 in Pennsylvania, but his connection to Kentucky and especially Bardstown is both historical and musical.
His song, “My Old Kentucky Home,” is an homage to Federal Hill, the home of his distant relatives, the Rowan family, and the musical based on his life has been delighting audiences since 1959.
What better way to honor America and Stephen Foster than to catch a performance on their joint birthday?
Audience members will thrill to Foster’s beautiful lyrics in tunes such as “Beautiful Dreamer,” “Oh, Susanna,” “Camptown Races,” and, of course, Kentucky’s state song.
At intermission, we’ll celebrate with cupcakes and you can stick around afterward for the fireworks.
Come join us in honoring America on her 250th with our “Red, White and Bardstown” tribute.
For more information on America’s 250th go to VisitBardstown.com