For many years, July 4th was a dead time for locals.
Enter CMI2 training center in the Southern end of the County. Wally Hatfield heads up that operation. Wally is a guy that is trying to make a difference in this Land of Little. He does good stuff like hiring locals including high school age kids at better than decent wages as well, as buying locally when possible.
CMI2 provided funding for the Fest.
It was steamy hot and dry. The kids didn't have any problems but the parents and grand parents were red checked and seated in shady areas. Fortunately the Courthouse was open for bathroom duty and air conditioned space to catch your breath. All the teenagers were strutting their stuff with their junk hanging out. By 4pm Saturday, all that stuff was red as a beet. It was hot.
Several food vendors were on hand as were craft displays and trinket sales.
Town of Clay leadership took on the task of organizing and pulling off the funfest. They had their act together and were all on hand to keep things running smoothly.
There are few businesses in the entire County. In downtown Clay there might be 30 businesses with their lights on. None of em have the wherewithall to cough up the $1000's needed to cover the event.
We are very lucky to have CMI2 on-board and helping to grow County Clay
Before the Saturday afternoon Fest, Town workers and volunteers alike cleaned up Main Street and even cut brush on side streets.Trash cans were emptied. Truth is, the place looked spruced up for once.
UPDATE
Town
of
PO Box 55
956 Main St.
Clay,
E-mail: townofclay@frontiernet.net
Phone: 304-587-4233
Fax: 304-587-8381
This
institution is an equal opportunity provider and
employer.
The Mayor and Town Council of Clay would like to offer all our gratitude for the sponsorship and help we received to make the Independence Day Celebration on July 6, 2024, a success! We could not have had the wonderful firework display, music, and other events without generous support. The Civil Military Innovation Institute 2, CMI 2, generously sponsored the evenings events. Many friendly faces from their program were also in attendance. CMI 2 ensured the families and friends in Clay County were able to celebrate together for Independence Day during this great summer event. Wally Hatfield and Aly Gregg were instrumental in this donation. Their generosity provided bounce houses, fireworks, red-white-and blue hats and glow items, banners and flyers for the event, and other activities that were free for the public to enjoy.
We would like to thank the Clay County Commission for the use of the courthouse for music, restrooms, and other amenities. Also, a special thank you to Becky Adkins for keeping the courthouse open and clean. Thank you to Black Diamond for hanging the banners in town. We appreciate the efforts of Isaac Brown for managing an awesome corn hole tournament. So many amazing food and craft vendors came to make the night special. Locals brought crochet, sewing, food, jewelry, and many other items to show their talents. Our LOCAL musical entertainment, Logan Truman and the band, Jedidiah, delighted the town and made the evening perfect for the crowd to visit and enjoy family and friends. Clay County has tons to offer, we were happy to have a showcase for our local talent. Additionally, thanks to Mr. Burroughs who kindly let the town use his property site to launch the fireworks. There were many who played behind the scenes to help everyone enjoy the evening, thank you for all your help if we did not mention you specifically!
We cannot thank you enough for making our town such a happy place to spend the evening. Time is precious and passes so quickly, especially the treasured summer days. Thanks again for investing your time and energy to help make the celebration a success.
Sincerely,
Mayor Jason Hubbard and the Town Council