New, improved events are coming to London

25th May – There will be new and improved events in the Laurel area this summer thanks to the organizers and sponsors of the City of London Tourism Commission.

One of the former funfair’s most popular attractions was the truck and tractor pulls – and these enthusiasts will be having their day again in July.

Brandon Fawbush of the North Laurel High FFA told the commission that the high school’s two FFA clubs hosted the event, which was held in partnership with the Kentucky Tractor Pull Association (KTPA). With the sponsorship and supervision of the Tourism Commission over the fairgrounds, the event will be a two-day competition on July 22nd and 23rd. Fawbush said the event will feature different classes of competition and will be dubbed the “Blue and Gold Battle.”

The event serves as a fundraiser for the two groups and the competition will feature multiple classes of competitions. Fawbush said there will be classes for gas-powered trucks and tractors, two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive for petrol and diesel engines. He said the event would draw large crowds, he thought, and be a successful event.

The commissioners then granted a request for financial support to help with this event. Fawbush added that if the weather is bad on the July dates, a rainy date is planned for August or September.

Laurel County Homecoming, one of the longest-running festivals in the state, is expanding its offerings for the August celebrations. President Chelsea Philpot outlined some of the activities already planned for this year’s event, including Spotlight on Youth, Homecoming Parade, Pet Parade, Power Wheels Race, Dachshund Derby, Sunday Gospel Chanting, Little Miss and Master Pageant and Miss and Teen Laurel County Pageant.

“This is the only event that highlights Levi Jackson Park. It’s our main focus and we recognize that we have a historical legacy there and how much history there is,” she said.

She added that the Homecoming Committee wants to keep tradition alive but recognizes that new events and the return of past events are needed to better involve the community. Philpot said a POPS in the Park concert will be added this year and the return of street dancing is on the agenda. The Shoot for the Stars talent scout will join Brooks Kidd, the London native who recently auditioned for American Idol. The Moonlight Market will also allow local artisans to display and market their wares. She added that this year’s budget — which includes Sunday gospel singing hopefully sponsored by a local church — is set at over $24,000. Some commissioners asked what their past contribution had been, with Phil Smith explaining that city tourism had donated $3,000 in recent years. Kelly Greene said she believes the donation should exceed $5,000 — the amount Homecoming committee members have requested in the past. She added that Levi Jackson is now under the city tourism umbrella and should receive more support from the commission.

“We are trying to make Homecoming a truly outstanding event for London and Laurel County, to highlight the legacy of 1935, its long history,” added Homecoming Board Secretary Karlyle Young. “This year we’ve been working really hard to add even more to Homecoming to include everyone. The dance for children, the POPS concert. Last year the slope was like it was in the 1980s and 90s – the ceilings were there. It was very emotional for some of us.”

Commissioner Mike Holt said a lot of work had been done on Levi Jackson and he would like the contribution to be increased, proposing $100,000.

“We’ve talked about doing a lot of small things but it would be good to have a big event, but I think our goal should be to make our homecoming one of the biggest events. We spent $100,000 on Ninth Street (Town Center Park) for five concerts,” he said.

Holt added that Homecoming Committee members were out and asking for donations from community businesses — many of which are the restaurants that pay the tax to the commission.

“I’d love to see us attack Homecoming and make it a big event. We don’t have anything else that just emphasizes Levi Jackson,” he added.

With that in mind, the commissioners voted to fund this year’s Homecoming with $25,000.

Another event that would highlight Levi Jackson Park is a car show organized by TW (Tony) Smith. Smith said that car shows were becoming popular again and that he wanted to model a car show similar to that of Somernites Cruise in Somerset. Smith said the cars would be parked along the park’s lane, which would provide some shade for spectators. This location would also allow golf carts and other small motor vehicles to maneuver through the area – saving those with limited mobility long walks.

“There are no golf carts in Somerset – you have to walk and it’s a long way,” said Smith. “If we could have that in the park, people would have shade and wouldn’t get as hot and could drive golf carts around.”

Kim Collier and Kelly Burton of the London-Laurel County Tourism Commission also asked for financial support for this year’s World Chicken Festival, which was approved by the Commissioners. Every year, city tourism sponsors entertainment for the four-day festival.

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