ready, set, go

Events this past weekend got the 36th Foothills Festival off to a great start, including the Foothills Gospel Singing, which included Lifetime Guarantee, shown performing below.

In the top photo, the Second Sunday health oriented event at Mountain View Park, placed a host of people involved in several activities, including completing laps around the walking track.

With a nearly picture perfect weather forecast that could paint a fall weather scenario Foothills Festival planning committee members are always hoping for, everyone planning on making their way to downtown Albany this weekend should plan on running into several favorable situations.

Fantastic weather, big crowds, plenty of music, entertaining shows and contests, and a town full of bargains and fun purchase opportunities.

Oh yeah – and a whole lot of great food.

Yes, it’s time once again for Albany and Clinton County’s favorite weekend outdoor party – It’s Foothills Festival time!

For the 36th consecutive year, through good weather and bad that has ranged from large snow flakes that pelted the Friday parade several years ago, to the hot sun that left people looking for shade, the annual Foothills Festival is set for what looks to be a fantastic weekend again.

Bring a jacket and sunglasses,

the forecast looks great

Get ready for some great fall weather.

It’s long been said that if you don’t like the weather in southern Kentucky, stick around awhile – it’ll change.

That will likely be the case this weekend between the start and finish of the weekend schedule, but looking at the overall forecasts, it should all be quite enjoyable.

If weather forecasts hold true, this weekend’s fall celebration should be somewhere right in the middle of the aforementioned extremes that Foothills goers have endured in past years.

According to the National Weather Service, Albany and Clinton County should be basking in mostly sunny skies through the weekend, with increasing cloudy conditions by Saturday.

Highs during this upcoming Foothills Festival should be in the mid 70s on Friday with evening and night lows expected to be in the low 50s.

A front producing cooler but still pleasant conditions is expected to move through the area Friday night, leaving Saturday still under mostly clear skies, but with cooler temperatures that will see highs only in the low 60s and lows that night in the upper 30s.

Runners can expect crisp but favorable conditions on Saturday morning for the “siren” start of the annual Foothills 5K Run, when the 8:00 a.m. race gets underway under clear skies and an expected temperature of 50 degrees.

It all begins with a

night of pageantry

Weather conditions should be great on Thursday night but will be of no concern with those attending the first scheduled event of the weekend.

The annual night of Foothills Festival Pageants is slated to be held indoors at the Clinton County Learning Center.

Getting underway at 6:00 p.m., the event will kick off with the traditional showcasing and eventual crowning of the Prince and Princess Foothills Festival between contestants ages 5-7.

After that first contest, the competition moves to only female contestants. Beginning with the Little Miss (ages 5-7) and moving through the final contest of the evening, the Miss Foothills Festival for contestants ages 15-21.

In between, those attending the Foothills Beauty Pageants will also enjoy the Junior Miss (8-11), and Teen Miss (12-14) pageants.

Admission to Thursday night’s pageants is $3 and additional details can be learned by contacting Kimberly Stockton (606-688-0400).

Also on Thursday night will be the judging of area businesses competing in the prestigious Foothills Window Display contest, with the goal of winning the coveted challenge trophy.

This year’s window theme is the same as the Festival overall theme for 2015 – “Where the Lakes Touch the Stars”. Additional information can be learned from Marion Cyphers (606-459-1838).

The pace picks

up on Friday

After the traditional laid-back Thursday night start, things begin to pick up speed quickly on Friday as people move into the downtown area, smoke from the food court begins filling the air, and vendors around the courthouse square area begin putting their offerings out for view (and they hope, for purchase purposes).

First up will be a new event to the Foothills Festival lineup, a challenge event centered around the ever-growing sport of archery.

The Ultimate Shootout will take place at the Archery Trailer located next to the Foothills Festival Building beginning at 10:00 a.m. both Friday and Saturday, and continuing all day both days until 8:00 p.m.

Also on both Friday and Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. both days, the Pumpkin Patch attractions for Foothills Festival fans of the younger ages will kick-off on the blocked off section of Washington Street, adjacent to the sponsor location, First and Farmer’s National Bank.

Pumpkin Patch activities will take a break on Friday afternoon during the Foothills Parade – closing from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Arts and crafts will be available around the square throughout the day Friday and for the remainder of the weekend, with a wide range of craft offerings as well as services, information and giveaways in booths around the courthouse as well as in the area on the west side of the courthouse square near the Foothills Building and along the flea market vendors area on Cumberland Street.

Always one of the largest portions of the Foothills Festival entertainment lineups, live music will of course once again fill this year’s slate of entertainment, and as tradition has long held true, the first offering will be a local long-time favorite.

The Clinton County High School Band, under the direction of Doug Sell, will take the stage in concert formation at 12:00 noon Friday at the Flea Market Stage.

Of course the band will leave the stage area and begin making the transition to uniform and marching orders for their second public appearance later that afternoon when they take up one of the lead positions in the Foothills Parade.

Following the concert by the current CCHS band performance Friday, the crowd will welcome some self-proclaimed “old timers” to the stage when the C.C.H.S. Alumni Band is set to perform at the same stage beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Also at the mid-day mark on Friday, a host of additional events and contests get underway, most at the Foothills Festival Building on the west side of the courthouse square and most geared toward the younger members of Foothills fans in the crowd.

Those include registration and sign-up for the Lego Building Contest, the Children’s Cornhole Tournament, Pumpkin Decoration Contest and the Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Sign-up deadlines vary according to contest and judging will take place on Saturday. Additional details can be obtained from event chairpersons at the Foothills Festival Building.

Also at the Foothills Building on Friday afternoon, beginning at 4:00 p.m., Dynamic Entertainment will be hosting several interactive games for kids.

The game schedule will see the entertainment continuing until 5:00, taking a break during the parade and restarting again at 6:00 p.m.

By late Friday afternoon, the crowds will be moving toward Cross Street in anticipation of what has long been considered to be one of the best small town parades in this region, the 5:00 p.m. start of the Foothills Festival Parade. (lineup at the Westview Shopping Center begins at 3:00 p.m.)

When the afternoon turns to darkness following the parade conclusion on Friday, things will just be heating up for those wanting to stick around for a few hours.

The unique musical blend of bluegrass, southern rock and country will fill the countryside from the Foothills main stage on east Cumberland Street at 7:00 p.m. (near David Choate and Norb Sohm’s law offices)

That’s when Travis Harris and the West Coast Turnarounds take the stage to close out the entertainment offerings for Friday, playing up until the final event of the night has everyone looking toward the skies for the Barrett Oil Purchasing fireworks show at 9:00 p.m.

The fun continues Saturday with a bright and early start

Get a good night’s rest Friday, because on Saturday, the schedule gets an earlier start with the running of the Foothills 5K race.

With a 7:00 a.m. registration start, well over 100 runners are expected to get the day off to a fast start as they work their way through the 5K course and to the finish line next to Dyer Drug on the north side of the courthouse square.

Arts and crafts offerings again on Saturday will keep Foothills goers on the move all day long, and of course a constant flow of people following the smoke and smells coming from the food court will see folks enjoying the fall fun for the final day of festivities.

The Foothills Car, Truck, Motorcycle and Tractor show will begin seeing motorized entries coming in at 9:00 a.m. at the People’s Bank and Trust parking lot.

The show, with a 45 entry fee, will officially begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 2:00 p.m.

Contest registrations will begin at the Foothills Building at 10:00 a.m., cutting off at 12:00 noon, so don’t put the signing up off too long.

Another new event, this one for the younger crowd, will see the Little Red Wagon Parade at the First Baptist Church, with lineup at 10:30 and a parade start at 11:00.

Remember the “Where the Lakes Touch the Stars” theme for parade entries, open for “drivers” of age 4-12. Contact Jay Garner for more details (606-688-0469).

At 12:30, the down home, rousing sounds of bluegrass background ensemble known as Cleo Spaw and Logan Station will be providing the first musical entertainment lineup of the afternoon.

Brought to the stage by the Clinton County Community Foundation, the free concert by this well-known Pulaski County based group of musicians will take place on the flea market stage adjacent to the food court.

At 2:00 p.m., the most popular contests of the afternoon begin with the Parent-Child Look-A-Like Contest, on the main stage at East Cumberland Street.

Then at 3:00 p.m., the single most popular event of the weekend kicks off and will once again see a street full of fans near the main stage for the annual Foothills Festival Lip Sync Contest.

The entertaining lineup at the Lip Sync event is always top notch, providing plenty of laughs and sometimes even a shocking moment or two, but is certainly the one single event not to be missed.

As darkness once again sets in, all is far from over, with two more musical acts in store for those wanting to hang around.

Olds 88, sponsored by David Cross), will be churning out their collection of 50s and 60s rockabilly sounds on the Flea Market Stage beginning at 5:00 p.m.

For those who prefer the more traditional sounds of classic rock, southern rock and country, the regionally known Tin Sleep will be offering up the final musical act of the weekend – getting underway at 6:30 pm. on the Main Foothills stage.

All of that, of course, leads up to the grand finale event of the weekend, when the second fireworks show again closes out the weekend long schedule, and puts the cap on this 36th annual fall celebration we have fondly come to know simply as “The Foothills”.

So, rest up while you have the chance, work up a good appetite for the weekend offerings, and put on your walking shoes, a jacket and maybe, for you late owls, a stocking hat.

The weather is going to be fantastic with entertainment and friends aplenty as we come together once again to get in one last good weekend of outdoor fun before winter weather finds us.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll certainly say it again, but it’s time once again for Clinton County to offer it’s fall surroundings in these “foothills” of the Appalachian chain to bid the invitation to the rest of the world to . . .

“Come See It Our Way!”