LUCAS — A fundraising effort is being headed up by a local non-profit group to fund a fireworks display on the Fourth of July at Barren River Lake State Resort Park.
Barren River is one of roughly nine state parks that will not be hosting their own fireworks display this summer due to a lack of state funding.
“We’re hoping that they can continue it just won’t be possible for State Parks to continue paying for them,” said Gil Lawson, spokesperson for Kentucky Department of State Parks.
The state won’t be able to fund the fireworks display, he said, due to budget issues and the nation’s overall sluggish economy.
“State parks (are) facing some very serious budget issues and basically the parks have had to scale back on some of the activities that we offer,” Lawson said.
Because the fireworks display at Barren River Lake State Resort Park has come to be a popular regional event that attracts hundreds of people, the Friends of Barren River decided to take on the task of generating funds to cover the cost of a fireworks display.
“We’ve just started the campaign,” said Ann Stewart, treasurer of the Friends of Barren River organization.
How big of a fireworks display the Friends of Barren River will have depends on how much money is raised.
“Our goal is $7,000,” Stewart said.
The Friends of Barren River will receive some financial help from the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist and Convention Commission, but a majority of the funding will come from donations, she said.
It has not been determined if the state park will be able to fund the other activities that are normally part of the Fourth of July celebration. In years past the state park has hosted a beach party featuring a variety of activities and music from local bands.
“It’s all still up in the air,” said Monica Conrad, park manager. “We’re hoping to have the same type of community event that we’ve always had and we will be working with the Friends group to determine how best to do that.”
While the Kentucky Department of State Parks won’t be funding fireworks displays at several state parks this year, it doesn’t mean the parks have stopped hosting all events.
“We are still offering quite a few things,” Lawson said.
On Friday and Saturday Barren River Lake State Resort Park hosted a Nature Watch Weekend for sandhill cranes, which visit the state park during their migration period.
On March 3, Barren River Lake State Resort Park will launch its “open mike” jam session. The event will continue the first Tuesday of each month from 6-9 p.m. at the Louie B. Nunn Lodge and The Driftwood Restaurant. Musicians and listeners alike are encouraged to come early and enjoy a country dinner at the restaurant. Dinner hours are 5 to 8 p.m.
On March 14-15, Barren River Lake State Resort Park will be hosting its overnight backpacking-camping trip. A schedule of upcoming events is available on the Kentucky Department of Parks’ Web site at parks.ky.gov
Anyone who would like to make a donation to the Friends of Barren River Group can do so by calling Stewart at (270) 579-1737.
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