By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Communities across the county came together this weekend to celebrate the Independence Day holiday with music, fireworks, parades, and more.
Over in Olive Hill the holiday coincided with the community Homecoming celebration. That meant parades, concerts, and – of course – fireworks.
In the lead up to the weekend of fun the Olive Hill Center for Arts & Education put on their annual On with the Show featuring numbers from Angela Fultz (Cuban Pete and I Only Have Eyes for You, with Harman and Foltz), Amy Greene (Hopelessly Devoted to You) and Margaret Roark (Sisters, with Greene), Debbie Harman (Send in the Clowns and When Life Gives Me Lemons, with Teddy Harman), Beau Lambert (Folsom Prison Blues), Audra Foltz (Never Enough), Joe Foltz (Bring Him Home), and other ensemble pieces.
The standout from this year, however, may have been Greg Collinsworth’s rendition of Memory, from Cats. Collinsworth’s trumpet work on the tune, and Harman’s keyboards, were impeccable. But it was the addition of youth dancers Ella Utley, Lola Frasier, and Cailynn Bush that really took the act to the next level.
On with the Show has featured dancers in the past as well, but they haven’t integrated the dancing with live music as they did this time – at least not in recent memory – and it was a moving experience that we hope they continue.
On Saturday the parade was the main event. With the Shriners and Trail Town horseback riders bookending the route, the bar was set high for all of the floats and participants who braved the heat. But no one let the heat keep them from making sure the kids had fun and got plenty of treats and goodies – like when a group of Shriners stopped their cart to make sure three-year-old Aubrey Phillips got her share of the candy they were tossing.
Those actions exemplified the spirit of the weekend, and all of the event participants and volunteers. When you add to those the efforts of church groups and businesses in organizing music and food, and the city with the free pool day and fireworks, they made for a heartfelt holiday weekend, and we want to thank them all and extend our appreciation for their hard work in bringing everything together.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Angie Fultz sings “Cuban Pete”. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Greg Collinsworth performs at On With The Show. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Ted and Debbie Harmon perform at “When Life Gives me Lemons…” (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Aubrey Phillips receives candy at the parade (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
RW Boggs enjoys the parade. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
William Waddell tosses candy to the kids during the parade (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Hope Middleton poses for the crowd while riding on the Events by Beck float in the Olive Hill Homecoming Parade. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
An historic police car campaigns for Eric Ross for Sheriff. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Marthena Oney with Empower Athletics tumbles. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
The always popular Shriner Hillbillies. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Shriner Hillbilly daredevils pop a wheelie, much to the crowd’s delight, during Saturday’s parade in Olive Hill. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Miss Olive Hill Lexi Bond tosses candy to the kids along the parade route on Saturday. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)