Levi Jackson pool, splash pads open this weekend; London to host first-ever Juneteenth celebration

May 23—The school year is nearly over, and fun in the water will mark its debut as summer vacation begins.

Ben Sizemore, director of the City of London Tourism's Parks and Recreation division, told board members of the commission that the pool and splash pads will open this weekend.

"The splash pads at the Wellness Park and Mill Street Park will open on May 25," he said. "We had to delay opening the pool and Treetop Adventures until Sunday because of graduation on Saturday."

All spots are favorites among all ages and typically open over the Memorial Day weekend, which is right in line this year.

Monday night's regular monthly meeting included a request for funding the community's first-ever Juneteenth celebration, set for Saturday, June 15. Dr. Karen Wright with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, spoke to commissioners regarding the event that will feature music, free food, children's activities and a community art project.

Wright was accompanied by Wayne Riley with the Laurel County African American Heritage Center and Kevin Hibbard with London Downtown. All expressed their support of the event that will also offer information about Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.

The commission approved $2,500 toward sponsorship of the event that will also feature a fish fry and will result in closing of Broad Street from 5th to 7th for the event.

Levi Jackson Park will have another event this year as Millstone Theatre Guild will present Shakespeare in the Park. Liz Michael, founder of the new theatre company, requested $500 for advertising and costumes for the production. Board members approved that request as well as allotting the group space at the amphitheater or at the fairgrounds pavilion.

The North and South Laurel High School FFA Club were granted $5,000 to sponsor this year's truck and tractor pull at the fairgrounds property. The event brought out 440 spectators on Friday night and over 330 on Saturday last year.

Commissioner Todd Roberts questioned the amounts of several of the sponsorship requests, stating that the varied amounts of money needed to be reviewed. While commissioners Josh Samples and Chase Carson agreed, they both voiced support for approving the full amount.

"I understand the concern, but since we've already funded them $5,000 for the past two years, I think we should go ahead and give them that amount this year," he said.

"This is a fundraiser for the two FFA Clubs," explained executive director Chris Robinson. "It will benefit both clubs."

With that, commissioners approved the $5,000 request, but did establish a committee to review the requests from this point on.

Other event sponsorship requests included the annual horse show at the Laurel-London Optimist Club and Upper Cumberlands Foundation for a car/bike show as part of the Backroads of Appalachia program. A $1,000 sponsorship amount was approved.

The Levi Jackson Park campground is hosting an open house and ribbon cutting on Wednesday, May 29 for their cottages, which were recently installed. Commissioners approved purchasing three cottages (or "little houses") earlier this year. Those three cottages feature bunk beds, a bathroom and kitchen area and will be available to rent. During Monday's meeting, board members approved a "no pet" rule for rental of the cottages. Cottage rentals will be handled by an Airbnb company that currently is overseeing rentals of the "Ranger's Retreat."

The Archery Shooters Association (ASA) will arrive on May 30 and will host an archery tournament through June 2. The ASA event is the largest tourism event, bringing in thousands from around the country for the three-day tournament.

Eddie Montgomery will headline the opening of the 2024 Town Center Summer Concert series on June 7, while Food Truck Friday is set for June 21.

A project launched by the county tourism commission to honor the legacy of basketball teams was also discussed. Commissioner Starr Handy said the county tourism board was sponsoring the plaques bearing the names of all basketball teams that have earned a Regional title and participated in the state KHSAA Sweet 16. It will also honor the Sheppard Family, including Jeff Sheppard, who was Most Valuable Player on the University of Kentucky basketball team in 1998. He was also a team member when UK won the national championships in 1996 and 1998. Stacy Reed Sheppard, a native Laurel Countian, also played for the UK Women's team, setting her own records. Their daughter Madison was a standout player for North Laurel Lady Jags as well as playing basketball at UK. Their son, Reed Sheppard, has made a name for himself across the nation for his skills that now have him as a top pick for the 2024 NBA draft next month.

That project is well underway and Handy mentioned that the basketball courts at the Wellness Park where the memorial will be located, were in dire need of repair.

"I recommend that we fix those courts with patching, recoating and striping them," he said. "We're talking about bringing in some tournaments and everybody who plays basketball knows that it's hard to play on a cracked and rough court."

Chase Carson agreed, since he often plays basketball at the Wellness Park, adding that the courts need some repair. Handy added that the new memorial would be offset with the new courts, even saying that the re-striping could feature the colors and logos of North and South Laurel as well as University of Kentucky. Commissioners approved that action, with Handy adding that the project and an opening ceremony is being planned for mid-July.

Board members also approved taking bids for a pavilion structure for the fairgrounds property. Robinson said the two renderings for the pavilion were for 30,000 square feet or 45,000 square feet.

"That's a large as we can go with the 45,000 square feet because that's all the space we have there," he said.

The advertisement for bids was approved unanimously.