The Red, White and Oooh!, Hopkinsville’s Fourth of July celebration and fireworks show, will be Thursday at Ruff Park.
It ’s free and begins at 6 p.m. with a gathering at the Ruff Park rugby fields on North Drive across from Hopkinsville Community College. Patriotic music will play over the public address. Food trucks, including Vansauwa’s Tacos & Vegan Eats, Holiday Burgers, Kona Ice and Heather’s Homemade Ice Cream will begin serving at 6:30 p.m.
The show, described by Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation as the “area’s largest,” will begin around 9 p.m. It’s sponsored by WKDZ/WHVO radio.
Everyone should bring chairs and blankets for the rugby field, said recreation staffer Pam Rudd. Parking will be across the street at the community college and Christian County High School.
There are a few other opportunities to see public fireworks over the holiday. Those include:
- Moors Resort, Kentucky Lake, at 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 3
- Lake Barkley State Resort Park, shortly after 9 p.m., Thursday, July 4 (The fireworks are launched from Barkley Beach, but the lodge is a good place to view the show.
- Fort Campbell’s Division Park Field, 9:30 p.m., Thursday, July 4
A Hopkinsville ordinance limits when and how local residents may use fireworks purchased from shops and tents.
Fireworks may only be ignited between 10 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. July 1 through the 5. Anyone under 18 using fireworks must be supervised by a parent or guardian.
The ordinance prohibits igniting fireworks from a vehicle and within 200 feet of structures, vehicles or other people.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
