Celebrating the Fourth on the third

Uniontown

Uniontown will celebrate the 10th annual Independence Day Bash, always held on July 3, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday at the city park.

"This event was started by the Park Improvement Committee in, I think, 2005," Kenny Holt, Union State Bank president said. It started as the result of a citizen who felt the beautiful city park on the town's square wasn't used enough.

"While we have always used the park for our Labor Day celebration, Mary Pritchett who was on the (Park Improvement) committee thought we needed to use the park more than once a year," Holt said.

The event started small.

"It started with a pretty small group in the community," he said.

They grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for whoever would come.

"And we took donations to help fund park improvements," Holt said.

Through the years, it morphed.

"The bank took over sponsorship as a community appreciation event and added the fireworks display the following year," he said.

Randy Rockhold has been in charge of fireworks from the beginning, Holt said.

The bank pays for the fireworks.

"Randy picks them out and organizes them," Holt said. "Several local guys help set them off."

"The event has grown every year," Holt said. "We feel it has become a popular community event and we continue to raise funds for the park."

Since 2015 is the All School Reunion, the bank will not be serving food this year.

"This year we are doing it in conjunction with the (Uniontown High School) Alumni Reunion," he said. "The fireworks will be better than ever. However we will not be serving hot dogs this year as the alumni association will have food vendors on site this year."

Fort Scott

Members of Elks Lodge No. 579 are preparing for a big blast on Friday with the annual Fort Scott Community Fireworks Display organized each year by the lodge.

Elks member Bill Brittain said while the Elks organizes the annual display each year and conducts fundraisers throughout the year to pay for the event, bringing it together and pulling it off requires a community effort.

"The Elks has organized the display for a little more than 20 years," Brittain said. "We've raised some money but it's really a big group effort. It's not just the Elks. The city and county contribute funds. The (Mercy) hospital has put in some funds and other businesses have put in funds. The Elks is a conduit but it takes the community. It takes the city, county and businesses going together."

The fireworks for the display have been launched from the same spot at Fort Scott Community College since the Elks took over organization of the display more than 20 years ago.

"It's the same spot back in the softball fields," Brittain said. "We have to block it off so people can't get back there."

For the last several years, the Elks have used the same company, Fireworks Spectacular based in Iowa, for firing off the annual display, Brittain said.

"We started with a Crawford County company but they ended up selling to this company," he said. "They do displays all over the country."

As an added bonus, the display will include a feature that has been part of the event for several years - music. Spectators can tune into the local radio station to hear patriotic music timed with the fireworks display.