Lawrence County offers plenty of family-friendly fun

The first day of school is coming up, but there’s plenty of summer left and many family-friendly activities available in Lawrence County. Take it from a dad and a pastor – your family is the very best place to invest your time.
Wherever you are in our county, there is a creek or lake nearby. I hope you can take your family wading, swimming, fishing or boating before summer’s end. Every local park offers playground equipment and nearby picnic tables, so you can stay until the kids wear out. Take a drive down any scenic country road, or the Natchez Trace, which crosses the northwest corner of our county. Visit Laurel Hill or VFW Lake for fishing and sightseeing. Find a good book and more at one of our Libraries; be inspired by a visit to Hope Botanical Garden.
For scheduled fun, Crockett Cinemas concludes its annual free summer movie series this week. Take advantage of the chance to see Transformers I on Wednesday, July 23 or Thursday, July 24 at 11 a.m.
Rotary Pool is open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1-5, through August 3. It closes the week of August 4, then reopens for a final summer weekend August 9 and 10.
The City of Lawrenceburg’s tennis and pickleball courts are open from daylight to dark on the south side of LCHS. Loretto City Park, at 200 Park Street, has public tennis courts open the same hours. A basketball court with room for several pickup games is at Rotary Park.
David Crockett State Park offers plenty of space to hike, bike, fish and boat. A daily lineup of ranger-led programs continues through July 27, and details are available on the Park website. I’ll offer a few to tempt you: Coonskin Cap Making, Aviary Tour and Feeding, Tree ID Hike, and David Crocket Museum Tour.
Adults and older children can also enjoy a dinner theater production at the park restaurant on August 8, 9, 15, 15, 22, and 23. “The Savannah Sipping Society” is a comedy presented by Lawrenceburg Community Theater.
David Crockett State Park and the Davy Crockett Longhunters are hosting the 42nd annual Davy Crockett Days August 22, 23, and 24. Longhunters camp at the park in pre-1840s style and visitors can walk through to watch demonstrations of frontier skills like fire starting, tomahawk throwing, spinning, and cooking.
To learn more about local history, visit Lawrenceburg’s Old Jail Museum on Waterloo Street, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Loretto Lift-Up and History Museum at 128 S. Main Street is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. The James D. Vaughan Museum at Lawrenceburg’s municipal building on the Square will help you understand why the city has a Congressional designation as the Birthplace of Southern Gospel Music. It’s open Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for self-guided tours.
If you visit this coming Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, a Southern Gospel professional will be on hand to answer questions about the genre introduced to the nation by Vaughan’s music publishing company, music school, traveling quartets, phonograph company, and radio station, all headquartered on the Lawrenceburg Square.
Many Southern gospel professionals and their fans will be here Wednesday through Saturday for the 25th annual Vaughan Quartet Festival. Gospel greats including The Chuckwagon Gang, The Blackwood Brothers, The Hoppers, Gold City, The Dove Brothers, and our own Kelly’s are scheduled to perform. Tickets for all four nights or one are available at vaughanfestival.com. You also have opportunities to hear the Southern Gospel for the price of a love offering at matinees set for 1 p.m. Thursday, July 24 and Friday, July 25.
Other upcoming events include:
Crossroads of Dixie Antique Tractor & Engine Club Show, August 15 and 16 at Rotary Park. In addition to hundreds of antique tractors on display, visitors can see and/or participate in two nights of antique tractor pulling, antique tractor parade, kiddie tractor pull, skillet throw, barrel rolling, and a blind man’s race.
Bulls & Barrels, August 23 at Rotary Park, 7 p.m. This event features bull and bronc riding and barrel racing. Proceeds help maintain the Abigail’s Plan complex at Bobby Brewer Park, where athletes of every age with special needs play softball. Abigail’s Plan is also working to establish accessible playgrounds in Lawrenceburg and Loretto. The first is completed at Summertown.
Summertown Bluegrass Reunion, September 28-30 on Highway 240 in Summertown, ½ mile west of Highway 43. Celebrating 35-plus years, this event features stage shows, two-step, waltz, line dancing and a buck dancing contest, shade tree musicians, and more. It’s another great chance to hear live traditional music.
The Middle Tennessee District Fair, September 18-27 at Rotary Park.
Finally, you can make a family trip to one of the county’s produce markets, which are open through October. Pavilion Produce, at the corner of South Military and West Taylor, is open Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m. The Lawrenceburg Square hosts a market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday. The Loretto Farmers Market opens Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Weathers Park. Plowboy Produce, at 469 Brace Road in Ethridge, has auctions of (mostly Amish) produce every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday beginning at 1 p.m. Smaller lots are also offered for sale.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and your family, every minute, year-round.