Fall is just more than a month away, and its arrival ushers in several events sure to interest locals and tourists alike.
Pam Hester and Norman Dickerson shared details about the upcoming Labor Day fireworks and the 19th annual downtown classic car show and the two tourism development authority representatives said plans are shaping up for a couple of great shows for the whole family.
The Labor Day fireworks show is set for Saturday, Sept. 4 at Satterwhite Point on Kerr Lake.
There will be a DJ providing music during the afternoon and several food vendors will be on hand, including Jerry’s Hotdogs, Peyton’s Place and Frostbites, Hester told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. Vendors should be ready for customers by the middle of the afternoon, and “as soon as they’re set up, they’ll be ready for business,” Hester said.
Dickerson said the fireworks display probably will begin around 8:15 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
The July 4 fireworks show was pushed to Labor Day this year because of the uncertainty of when COVID-19 restrictions may be lifted and Dickerson said it’s been almost 20 years since there’s been a fireworks show for Labor Day. State park weekend gate fees are $7 per vehicle.
Hopefully, the recent heavy rains brought by tropical storms won’t create too much of a problem with the lake level. Dickerson said the lake is at 301 feet, just a little above normal.
If water levels are a problem, “we have a backup shoot site, so we’ll be ok,” he said.
Hester said she is trying to look at the rescheduled date in a positive light: “We gave the people of Vance County three different events to go to, because we weren’t doing it on the same night,” she said. “We’re going to make the best of it and have a great celebration” on Sept. 4, she added.
Then in mid-October, a different type of celebration returns to downtown Henderson with the 19th annual Show, Shag, Shine and Dine event. Hundreds of classic cars line the streets for folks to admire on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Hester said there has been a lot of interest in the event, which will kick off on Friday, Oct. 15 with a cruise-in at Kerr Lake from noon to 4 p.m., and then it’s on to Southern Classic Cars on Horner Street in Henderson from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“We’re having lots and lots of phone calls,” Hester said. “People are ready to come out and go to a car show.”
Registration for the car show, which is for any make and model 1988 and older, is $20. For owners who want their vehicles included in the judging, the fee is $25. Registration is Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. “We had a huge turnout in 2019,” Hester said. “I think the judges were worn out by the end of the day.”
Listen Here for Full Audio about the Vance County Tourism fireworks and Show Shine Shag and Dine.