Seymour announces Fourth of July activities

A few changes have been made to a longtime summer tradition in Seymour.

The city’s parks and recreation department has always conducted a fireworks show at Freeman Field Recreational Complex on July 4.

While Pyrotecnico Inc. will once again put on the show, a different radio station, 92.7 Nash Icon, will provide the music as the fireworks light up the sky on the south side of Seymour at dark Monday night.

Stacy Findley, director of the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department, said she met with the fireworks company and radio station Monday to finalize plans for next week’s show.

“We have used the same pyrotechnics company, and Carl Thompson is great to work with. They do a great job. It’s such a big production,” she said. “I also met with Nash Icon with Curt Nichols and finalized details with the music portion. They are going to be the ones to have the music playing on the air, and then also in person, they will be DJ’ing the event live. We’ve also made a commitment with Nash Icon for the future to host the event with us.”

The Fourth of July festivities in the city Monday will start with a bring-your-own-pair cornhole tournament at the fenced-in area near the covered bridge at the recreational complex, 2476 N. State Road 11.

Findley said Program Director Chad Keithley came up with that idea.

“This is our inaugural thing with cornhole, but folks love cornhole, and you don’t have to have any specialized equipment or formal training, so we thought cornhole would be a great addition to what we have going on out there,” she said.

Phat Guy Cornhole will conduct the tournament, which will have signups at 2 p.m., calcutta at 3 p.m. and bags flying immediately after.

“They actually do cornhole tournaments all over Indiana, so Chad reached out to them because they have experience making the brackets, and who shows up can help us facilitate that,” Findley said.

Duos can preregister by downloading the Scoreholio app on a cellphone. The cost is $20 per team, which includes $5 board fees.

“You don’t have to be a professional or you don’t have to be at a certain level. It’s open to everyone, all ages,” Findley said.

Having the tournament at that park also is a good way to introduce people to an underutilized area that includes the concrete cornhole boards, she said.

“The idea is for us to try to start programming in that area to get folks to realize that (it’s there),” she said.

For the second year in a row, the city’s Fourth of July celebration will include a concert by the Fabulous Hickbillys. It will be on a stage set up at the park from 7 p.m. to dark.

“We had them last year and folks loved them, and they have a following,” Findley said. “It worked out great last year, so they were available this year, so we thought we would continue moving forward with having them.”

Three vendors also will be set up at the park for people to buy food and drinks: Kovener’s Korner, Tropical Sno and Meyers Concessions.

There is no admission to the park or to view the fireworks. People are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and keep their dogs on a leash but should not bring their own fireworks or alcohol to the park.

“The Fourth of July fireworks have always been a big deal, and so we just want to continue with that tradition,” Findley said. “We always do it on July 4.”

Kenny Glass is sponsoring the event along with the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department.

“More than anything, we want to thank Kenny Glass and Nash Icon for being a part of the event,” Findley said.

If you go 

What: Fourth of July celebration

When: Monday

Where: Freeman Field Recreational Complex, 2476 N. State Road 11, Seymour

Cost: Admission is free, but three vendors will be onsite selling food and drinks

Schedule 

2 p.m.: Cornhole tournament signups ($20 per duo; preregister by downloading the Scoreholio app on a cellphone)

3 p.m.: Cornhole tournament begins

7 p.m. to dark: Concert by the Fabulous Hickbillys

At dark: Fireworks show