By BILL MARDIS, Editor Emeritus
Lake Cumberland will be “in good shape” during the Fourth of July holiday and, despite a slight chance of showers each day, the weekend will not be a washout for thousands of water lovers converging upon Pulaski County and around the lake.
Come on in, the water’s fine is recipe for a good time, but there are many things to do for landlubbers among us.
The holiday celebration begins at 6 p.m. today (Thursday) and kicks off with a fireworks display at 27 Twin Drive-In when darkness gathers. SomerBlast, the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce independence weekend extravaganza, starts at 2 p.m. Friday with music by six area bands topped off by a magnificent pyrotechnics show about 10 p.m.
If that’s not enough, there’s even more. Another fireworks display will dazzle the Saturday night sky at Lee’s Ford Marina Resort; SomerSplash, the city’s fabulous water park, will have extended hours; and hundreds of yard sales and shopping sprees will help bide time until drawn to the supper table by tantalizing smells of Momma’s cooking.
The lake is the biggest draw on any summer weekend, and safety is always top priority for water enthusiasts. Marshall Jennings, the lake’s environmental protection specialist, said boaters should be aware of floating debris in certain areas because of recent heavy rains.
Generators at Wolf Creek Dam are operating 24 hours a day and the lake level is slowly falling. It should be near the target of 680 feet above sea level during the upcoming weekend, Jennings said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the past couple of years has not made a visitation estimate prior to summer holiday periods.
“We don’t give numbers anymore,” Jennings noted. “Visitation at the lake is down somewhat this summer,” he conceded. Corps officials attribute lesser numbers of tourists more to a sluggish economy than a lower lake level while Wolf Creek Dam is undergoing major rehabilitation. Lake Cumberland still has 30,000 acres of water and plenty of space for water sports, tourism promoters insist.
During the good old days, prior to problems at Wolf Creek Dam, more than 400,000 visitors would crowd into the 10-county lake area for the Independence Day weekend. Now, Lake Cumberland joins tourist Meccas across the country feeling the pinch of a worldwide recession. Visitation is slowed by holidayers who travel less because of concerns about their economic futures. However, tourism promoters expect a favorable weekend boosted by July 4 falling on a Saturday this year.
“If you remember, the 4th was on a weekday last year,” said Carolyn Mounce, executive director of Somerset-Pulaski Convention and Visitors Bureau. She said a spot check of local motels early in the week indicated plenty of rooms still available for the holiday weekend.
“It’s sort of a mixed bag,” said Mounce. “Some of the motels are sold out Friday night; about 85 percent of the rooms are taken Saturday night and there are vacancies Sunday night.
“We will have extended hours at the visitors’ center during the holiday,” Mounce said. “We’ll get phone calls ... we know where to send people ... we expect more rooms to be taken by the weekend.” There are 1,145 overnight lodging places in Pulaski County.
Marina operators in the area are expressing optimism.
“Every boat we have is rented ... it looks like we’re going to do really well this weekend,” said Jennifer Nicholas, cashier at Burnside Marina.
“I would think we will be rocking,” laughed J.D. Hamilton, owner of Lee’s Ford Marina Resort. He said most of his cabins are rented and July 4th on Saturday should draw a good crowd to the lake.
Pulaski County Park is high and dry since the lake has been low, but the park near Nancy is still a popular place for camping and homecomings.
“Quiet a few of our campsites with water and electricity are already taken and all our shelters are rented,” said manager Vickie McQueary.
All campsites at General Burnside Island State Park are taken and the recently renovated golf course will be heavily used. “We don’t have a tee time until 1 p.m. Friday, and Saturday is filling up,” said Jim Reid, assistant manager at the pro shop.
