Parks to host Labor Day weekend activities

MURRAY – Murray-Calloway County Parks and Recreation is hoping to start a new tradition this year by hosting a range of free events during Labor Day weekend.

Park Director Ryan Yates said he was inspired to get the Labor Day Extravaganza off the ground by his childhood in Muhlenberg County, where Labor Day has been a big deal for a long time, with festivities starting the Wednesday before the holiday.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I reached out to (Monty McCuiston) about a month ago because I know he’s really big on doing events,” Yates said. “They’ve done the concert with Towing for Toys, the golf tournament and all that stuff really big. He’s on our park committee, so I reached out to him and said, ‘Man, I want to do this event. I just need help.’ As soon as I gave it to him, he was gung ho and ready to go. That was only about two weeks ago, and we’ve really hit it hard the last week-and-a-half. We’ve talked about it and we know how important it is to get (the information) out there so we can get a crowd, and so far, there’s been a really great response on Facebook.”

Yates said this year seemed like the perfect time to launch the new event since dry conditions of the Fourth of July caused the Freedom Fest fireworks show to be rescheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. With the Labor Day events beginning on Thursday and ending Saturday night, the fireworks will be able to cap off several days of events.

It all starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, with Praise in the Park at the Rotary Club of Murray Amphitheater and Performing Arts Pavilion. Yates said he would like to get as many churches involved as possible, so if anyone wants to get involved and add their praise band or choir or other performance to the lineup, they should call him at 270-762-0326 or email ryan.yates@murrayparks.org.

The popular local band Murr-Vegas All Stars will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, in the amphitheater, which will be followed the next morning by a Touch a Truck event, where kids can get a close-up look and climb inside emergency vehicles. There will also be a car show, and those events will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, in Chestnut Park. Yates said any local organizations or businesses that want to get involved with their vehicles should also get in touch with him.

Finally, there will be a Family Night in the Park event from 3:30-7:30 p.m. in Central Park, followed by the fireworks.

There will be a beer garden open during the Friday night concert located at the bottom of the access road between the amphitheater and the old red barn nearby. The area will be sealed off to the general public to exclusively allow entry to people 21 and older, and no one will be allowed to leave the area with a drink in their hand. Yates and McCuiston said the location should work out well because it is far enough from public seating to isolate alcohol consumption from the rest of the event while also giving people gathered in the beer garden a clear view of the performers on stage.

The City of Murray Park Committee met at City Hall Thursday to vote whether or not to allow the beer garden. After a brief discussion, committee Chair Johnny Bohannon said he was not in favor of it, though he noted that he only votes if he has to break a tie. Committee Vice Chair Jeremy Bell said he was also opposed to the idea and would be voting no. Committee member Rose Ross Elder’s motion to approve the beer garden passed by a voice vote of 4-1, with her and McCuiston voting yes along with community committee members Grant Rudolph and Michael Reed. Member Linda Cherry was absent. The committee is composed of five Murray City Council members and two members of the community.