July 4th is always a big day in Kentucky’s capital city, but this year Frankfort is putting some extra muscle into planning a celebration that will go well beyond the usual one-day event focusing on hot dogs and beer, marching bands and fireworks. After all, it’s not every year that the guest of honor turns 250 years old.
Celebrating “We the People,” a cornerstone of the Declaration of Independence, the city will offer a year-long civic engagement initiative specifically designed “to cultivate a more informed citizenry that feels empowered to actively participate in local governance,” says Blair Hecker, Communications Manager for the City of Frankfort.
Hecker goes on to add that the Frankfort Civic Proud campaign will be carried out through social media, in an original animated video and song, and with hands-on activities to complement the civics engagement opportunities.
Under the banner “Frankfort Rocks,” those engagement opportunities range from “How to Engage with City Hall” (February and March) to “Voting Rights and Responsibilities,” (October and November).
In addition, the city will hold quarterly town hall meetings and work with the Capital City Museum to host civic engagement summer camps for Frankfort’s next generation of voters – its students.
Throughout the year, Frankfort entities including Liberty Hall Historic Site; Buffalo Trace Distillery; the Kentucky Historical Society and Downtown Frankfort, Inc. will be working together to make this a birthday celebration worthy of its national importance.
According to Hecker, education is the primary focus of the ambitious schedule of events on tap for this year. The Frankfort Civic Proud Campaign is an effort to acquaint citizens with the workings of government on both the national and especially, the community level.
That doesn’t mean that in the midst of this year-long civics class, there won’t be time for a little fun, according to Hecker.
The City of Frankfort will be partnering with Downtown Frankfort Inc. and Liberty Hall to put on an all-day public event on July 3rd that will provide a Kentucky slant on the national celebration.
The America250 Music Festival, made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, will be held across numerous locations: Paul Sawyier Public Library (opening with the Quilts of Valor Ceremony), Liberty Hall (talks on wide-ranging topics); Ward Oates Amphitheater and Riverview Park (entertainment).
The free festival will be a blend of music and discussions on all those things that make Frankfort and Kentucky unique, from the Kentucky River and its influence on the bourbon industry to the origins of Bluegrass Music.
Interspersed between the discussions will be the music. Three local bands will take the stage at the Ward Oates Amphitheater throughout the afternoon – singer/songwriters Jeri Katherine Howell and Nat Colten at 2:10 p.m.: acoustic folk string band Violet and the Newsroom at 3:10 p.m. and bluegrass musicians Mash Grass at 4:10 p.m.
That evening the action will shift to the riverfront where at 6:10 p.m. Bluegrass duo Hancock and Shouse take the main stage, to be followed by Local Honeys (specializing in folk and mountain music) at 7:20 p.m., and country music star-in-the-making Cole Chaney at 8:30 p.m.
However, don’t think that when the music dies down, the party is over. On July 4th, start the day off with Buffalo Trace’s annual race and end it with the traditional fireworks (and we’re just betting there might be a parade thrown in there somewhere).
Many of the 250th birthday events are still in the planning stages, so check back often for updates. We are gearing up for the party of the century…. make that two-and-a-half centuries. See you there.
