SomerBlast bands a hit; fireworks fizzle

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July 6, 2009

By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Mon Jul 06, 2009, 08:45 PM EDT

Somerset — The crowd was great, the music was plenty, and the fireworks ... fizzled?

SomerBlast enjoyed what Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce President Jack Keeney called an “excellent” crowd, but many headed home after Friday’s festivities with questions about a fireworks display that clocked in at much shorter than expected.

“At this time, we’re in contact with Freedom Fireworks (the company hired for the display) and a reply will come soon,” Keeney said Monday to the Commonwealth Journal.

Thousands of onlookers crowded SomerSport Park and the surrounding roads to take in what was expected to be at least a 30-minute show, but those people were confused when the display only lasted about 15 minutes or so.

Mark Baker, the owner of Freedom Fireworks, based in Eubank, said the discrepancy happened due to some technical difficulties.

“We did have some problems with timers that were defective,” Baker said.

Baker said the shells were expected to go off at least eight seconds apart, but ended up going off around four seconds apart, which resulted in the show lasting approximately 17 minutes.

Baker emphasized that the people he spoke to liked the display, which was free to visitors.

“Everybody I talked to really enjoyed it,” Baker said.

The festivities began Friday afternoon when local band Reverend John and the Backsliders took the stage. Jupiter Jones, It, Upstruck, Kelly Caldwell and the Mountain Connection and Live Fish followed, providing entertainment for those in attendance nearly until the fireworks display was shown.

“This was an opportunity to feature some local bands and give them a venue,” Keeney said.

The local entertainers were pulled into the event by Somerset Parks and Recreation and R.O.C.K (Reaching Our Community’s Kids) Somerset when organizers said a flailing economy would force the event to be scaled back.

Keeney expressed his appreciation for those organizations, stating that SomerBlast came together because it became a community event and not just a chamber event.

“This is a community event,” Keeney said. “It was never supposed to be a chamber of commerce event.

“It takes the whole community to put this on,” Keeney later said.

Still, Keeney noted that while the crowd was a good one, it was down a bit from the number of people who turned out for the event last year — despite a midday thunderstorm that sent vendors, entertainers and onlookers running for cover. Last year brought in around 20,000 people, but Keeney said he didn’t have any numbers on those in attendance this year.

Keeney emphasized that SomerBlast still has plenty of room to grow.

“The Fourth of July is an important holiday to celebrate freedom ... our community is starting to get the feeling that this is a celebration,” Keeney said, adding that through the community’s support the event can “get bigger and better in the future.”

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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