WEST LANE PARK

News release

HARRODSBURG — The West Lane Park Board of Trustees and Friends of West Lane Park group have finalized plans for the local observance of Black History Month in Mercer County.

• On Saturday, Feb. 11, a Heritage Prayer Breakfast will be held at Centennial Baptist Church, 291 West Lane, beginning at 9 a.m. A traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, juice and coffee will be served.

Following breakfast, the Black History Month theme, “Creating a New Image of Black America,” will be discussed by local ministers on three subtopics: 1) “In Yourself,” by Rev. Randall Bartleson, associate minister of First Baptist Church; 2) “In Your Church,” by Rev. Virgil Hill, pastor of First Baptist Church; and 3) “In Your Community,” by Elder John Short III, pastor of Centennial Baptist Church. Tickets for the event are $5 per person, payable at the door.

• On Saturday, Feb. 18, the first Gospel Explosion will be held at the Mercer Transformation Auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. The theme for the evening will be “Life is a Song Worth Singing.” Guests for the evening include the Male Chorus of First Baptist Church Danville, Harrodsburg residents, The Harris Brothers and several area soloists. The featured performers will be the Heritage Choir, under the direction of Minister Bobby Harris. This choir is comprised of singers from African-American churches in Mercer and surrounding counties that was originally formed in 2015 to provide background music for the documentary entitled “A Journey of a Thousand Miles.” This documentary was produced by the Mercer County Extension Service and featured oral histories of local residents’ experiences in the Freedom March of 1964 in Frankfort. No admission will be charged for this event, but an offering will be received to go towards funding for a scholarship program.

• The final event of the month will be the black tie Gala on Feb. 25, also at the Mercer Transformation auditorium, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Rev. Gerry Hearn will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $35 per person and $15 per student (18 and under). Ticket sales for the Gala end on Saturday, Feb. 18.

All events are open to the public. For more information on any of the events, contact Lolita Short at (859) 613-3342, Maureen Dunn at (859) 612-1697 or Kathryn VanDyke at (859) 420-0769.