LaFollette celebrating 125th anniversary Saturday

By Charlotte Underwood 

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – The City of LaFollette is celebrating its 125th anniversary Saturday, July 9, with a fun filled day of activities and entertainment for the whole family.

The celebration starts at 10 a.m and ends at 10 p.m. 

Opening ceremonies starting at 10 a.m. will consist of a welcome, a recognition of sponsors and door prize contributors, as well as an announcement of events for the day. A proclamation will be read by LaFollette Mayor Phillip Farmer and the Campbell County Honor Guard will present the colors. Vanessa Dupuy is set to sing the National Anthem. 

There will be a tribute to all veterans by LaFollette alumni Gail Brown and Marvin Bolinger.

The history of the City of LaFollette will be done by LaFollette Librarian Nancy Green.

There will be an introduction of the event team that put the 125th celebration event together, as well as an introduction of former mayors and councils, including the current Mayor and council. 

The Fallen Soldier Wall will be on display in the breezeway beside the former Bowman Jewelry building until 5 p.m.

The stage will be set up on First Street facing East Central Avenue at stop light 8. Opening ceremonies, announcements and music will take place at the stage throughout the day. 

The Campbell County Historical Society will be doing tours of the museum and library throughout the day. They will also have antiques and relics from the City of LaFollette displayed out front. 

To honor the 125th  anniversary and the LaFollette family, a limited edition commemorative coin was printed and is for sale.  Only 300 coins were printed, with one side featuring town founder Harvey LaFollette, while the flip side features Glen Oaks (the LaFollette House). Only 100 of the limited coins are left, and they can be purchased at the City of LaFollette’s booth during the celebration. The City’s booth will be located near the old Bowman Jewelry building. There will also be door prizes awarded throughout the day. 

Official 125th celebration T-shirts will be available at the Byrge Screen Printing booth. Designs feature founder Harvey LaFollette and the LaFollette House. 

During Saturday’s celebration, the LaFollette House (Glen Oaks) will host an open house to the public from 1 p.m. on 5 p.m. to tour the historic estate. There will be a lemonade stand set up at the residence for donations. All donations from the open house are being collected for the LaFollette Police Department K-9 Division to help with gear and veterinary care. 

Music and entertainment will be provided by local various artists, as well as several headliners such as the Alex Leach Band, the K Town Band, Vic Graves and Emily Ann Roberts. For the full stage lineup, visit the City of LaFollette’s Facebook page.

Featured entertainment also includes a full-scale carnival with rides, which will be set up beside the police station in the municipal parking lot. Admission to all rides are free from noon to 6 p.m for all ages. 

There will be a production of “LaFollette Then and Now” a collection of old photographs put together by Charlie Hutson, running every hour on the hour in the council chambers of the municipal building. 

An antique car show provided by LA Cruisers will be set up on South Tennessee Avenue. 

Antique and craft vendors will be located in Seargeant Park, and Freeman Park is where a Candidate’s Corner “meet and greet” with local candidates running for office will be.

About 30 food trucks ranging from seafood to Mexican to Indian to All-American BBQ will be found on East Central Avenue.

Don’t be surprised if you get a glimpse of Harvey LaFollette in the crowd during the celebration; stop and take a photo!

The evening will culminate with Pyro Shows Fireworks at 10 p.m. 

Sheriff Robbie Goins will be providing a shuttle service to and from parking areas to the event. 

For more information, the full stage line up and entertainment, parking area and restroom area maps, check out the City of LaFollette’s Facebook page. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 07/07/2022-6AM)