Republic celebrates 30th annual Have-A-Blast festival

Republic’s 30th annual Have-A-Blast festival continued as scheduled despite flash flood warnings and inopportune weather. J.R. Martin Park, the venue for the festival, was muddy from exceptional rainfall days prior, but that didn’t stop attendees from showing up in force to pack the park. 

The Back Forty Band was the entertainment for the evening, with Members Only performing shortly after. 

The festival benefitted from a new extension to J.R. Martin Park, known as The Loop, which allowed ample space for food trucks and vendors, without invading the heart of the park. 

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a hot-dog-eating contest. Five contestants entered to eat as many franks as possible in five minutes. The winner of this contest, Harry Ward, was given an oversized chain proclaiming his victory, finishing 11 hot dogs in the short amount of time. (Photos by Ethan Gray)

A full gallery of photos from area Independence Day celebrations will be avaialable on July 6.