By Echo Menges
The 151st Annual Hurdland Fourth of July Celebration hosted a good crowd on July 4, 2023. The event also attracted a plethora of vendors selling food, drinks and a variety of goods, and crowds swelled for the annual parade and evening entertainment and fireworks.
The event kicked off to a smaller crowd on July 3, however, the Cornhole Tournament brought and kept visitors on the north side of the park as they vied for bragging rights.
Lacy Mihalevich opened the event on the evening of July 3 singing the National Anthem. Mihalevich started off the entertainment of the two-day event sharing the microphone with budding singer Saylor Barnhill, 8.
On July 4, parade goers were treated to the traditional spectacles including festively decorated motors of all sorts including classic cars, tractors, three and four-wheelers, along with bikes and horses.
Sweltering hot weather was likely the culprit as the park emptied considerably through the heat of the afternoon but came back for the evening tradition of music and fireworks.
This year, the Hurdland Fouth of July Committee opted to book local bands as the featured entertainment including Hearsay on July 3 and No Apology on July 4, which have performed during the event in the past.
Local favorite Mercy’s Bridge band also played during the afternoon on July 4 to the delight of local fans.
Fewer than usual contestants entered the various contests held with the exception of the watermelon eating contest, which attracted a pile of children ready to compete for eating the most watermelon in a short amount of time.
The event was concluded with the traditional fireworks display. This year, the fireworks were launched from the Hurdland Firehouse about one block northeast of the park, which the crowd enjoyed and complimented enthusiastically.
