There are so many different celebrations, and fireworks events, that it would be impossible to attend them all.  So we've compiled a list of some of the best fireworks and 4th of July celebrations in Western KY to help you decide which ones you can attend, and which ones you might be able to live without seeing.

AURORA

Saturday, July 3
Fireworks at Dusk at Kenlake State Park

CADIZ

Sunday, July 4
Fireworks at Lake Barkley State Resort Park Little River Area at 9:00 pm

CALVERT CITY

Sunday, July 4th
Ameribration Celebration in Calvert City (For more info, call 270-395-7130)

DRAFFENVILLE

Saturday, July 3
Patriotic live music show at the Kentucky Opry in Draffenville at 7:30 pm

EDDYVILLE

Saturday, July 3
Thunder Over Eddy Bay events will begin at 5:00 pm with a live band, food vendors, inflatables, and kids' games.  Come by Boat (Eddy Creek Marina) or Bus (Leaves from Western KY Outlet Mall starting at 5:00 pm). Fireworks begin at 9:00 pm.

GILBERTSVILLE

July 1-4
Good Ole USA Days at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
Moors Resort and Marina - Fireworks at dusk.
For more information, call 1-800-325-0146

Sunday, July 4
Independence Day 1 pm-4 pm at the Home Place

HICKORY

Sunday, July 4
The 2nd Annual Light Up the Sky for Christ will take place at Community Fellowship Baptist Church in Hickory (located across from
Fristoe's) on Sunday, July 4th. CFBC praise band will perform at 8:00 pm.  Fireworks will begin at 9:00 pm. Everyone is invited to attend. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.  Everyone is welcome to come early and visit. For more information call 270-705-0001 or 270-705-9902 or visit www.cfbc4god.com.

MAYFIELD

Saturday, July 3rd
Glory Days (Downtown Mayfield/Mayfield High School Track)

• Car/Truck/Bike Show and Swap Meet
• Pony Rides & Petting Zoo, Inflatables & Water Rides - All Free
• Watermelon Bust & Fish Fry
• Terrific Fireworks Display

For more information, call 270-247-1981

MURRAY

July 2-4
23rd Annual Freedom Fest Celebration
For more information on event times, details, and dates, read our latest article in the Local Events section of HelloKY.com

Murray Freedom Fest Event Details

PADUCAH

Sunday, July 4
The Independence Day activities for the City of Paducah begin at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 4 on the Wilson Stage on Paducah’s riverfront.

• 7:15 pm      Dixieland Band
• 8:00 pm      Paducah Jazz Band
• 8:45 pm      Paducah Concert Band
• 9:15-9:30 pm  Fireworks Show Starts

There will be several food and non-food vendors including those selling toys, lemonade, corndogs, hotdogs, popcorn, and nachos.  If a thunderstorm is in the area at the scheduled time for the fireworks, the fireworks show will be delayed until the weather clears. For more information, call Paducah Parks Services at 270-444-8508.

SMITHLAND

Sunday, July 4
The Smithland Area Chamber of Commerce and Smithland Fire Department are presenting Freedom On The Rivers at the Smithland riverfront on Sunday, July 4. The fun starts with a children's patriotic parade at 6:00 pm, with pedal, push or pull vehicles, like bicycles or wagons (no motorized vehicles).  Children should meet at Buzzard's Roost at 5:45 pm, and anyone under 10-years-old should be accompanied by an adult.  Parents are welcome to walk along. The Hamptons Gospel Singers will perform at 7:00 pm, and Brother Andrew Sexton will lead a service at 8:00 pm.  At dusk, the fireworks show will begin. For more information, call 270-928-2919.

SALEM

Saturday, July 3
Salem Faith & Freedom Fellowship at Faith Church, 1849 US 60 East - 7:30 pm. Patriotic program and recognition of veterans. Fireworks at dusk.

SYMSONIA

Friday, July 2
Paducah International Raceway, 4445 Shemwell Ln., has fireworks following their Summer National Late Model Special Race.

We tested it.

And then, we had the experts come in. Their names: Lorelei (3 years old), Aurora (1 year old), and Eden (newborn).

Lorelei, although 3 years old, adored the swing. Actually, she said she didn't want out. Ever. Which, should tell you all you need to know from her perspective. From a mom's perspective, wearing Lorelei in the Sleepy Wrap was great. She was comfortable, I was comfortable, and her weight was spread out evenly across me.

Aurora had a similar reaction. She liked it.

Eden's reaction was a little different:

She immediately fell asleep and protested any sort of disturbance that felt like she was being taken out of the wrap. Her mom liked that she could choose to carry Eden high or low, and in a variety of different positions.

We thought about it.

Sleepy Wrap is hands-down my favorite sling/wrap that I've tried so far. And, I've tried a lot!

In fact, if I were to list the attributes of the perfect baby-carrier, it'd be these:

• It must be easily adjustable. The same carrier must be able to accommodate my husband and myself...and any future or present friend of my choosing.
• It must keep my baby secure.
• It would be comfortable for my child - whether she's a newborn or 3 years old.
• It must be comfortable for me - I can't hike if my shoulders and back feel like I'm dislocating every bone.
• It should be breathable.
• It wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg.
• It would allow me to conveniently and discreetly nurse my daughter while in it.
• It would allow me to change my child's positions in it, depending on what they liked.
• It would allow me to cook and shop...with both of my hands.
• It would be made of quality fabrics.
• The feel of it would make me smile.
• It would be turquoise.

Okay, 11 out of 12 is pretty great. And, truthfully, with all of the other great colors that Sleepy Wrap offers, I think I can get past the non-turquoise part.

Sleepy Wrap believes in and loves their product as much as I do, so in addition to letting me review their product, they offered to let ONE lucky reader in on the excitement.

The exciting part -

To enter to win your own Sleepy wrap in the color of your choice - from their selection, obviously - you can do any (or all) of the following for a chance to win:

• In the comments, tell me how you'd use the Sleepy Wrap. (i.e. - cooking, hiking, etc.)
• Visit Sleepywrap.com and then come back and tell us in the comments which color is your FAVORITE!
• "Like" us on FACEBOOK (click to be taken to our page) and then come back and leave a comment, telling us you did. Or, that you already are.
• "Like" Sleepywrap on Facebook (click link) and come back to leave a comment, letting us know you did it.

Other important information:

• This giveaway will end on May 19, 2010 at midnight.
• The winner will be announced on helloky.com.
• You have up to 4 chances to make your odds of winning even better.
• Open to all US and Canada residents.

So here's a little humor for your Easter holiday involving EGGS!

HAVE AN EGGCELLENT DAY!!

For this annual day reserved for sneakiness and skulduggery, its shaky history is fitting.  So in the spirit of April Fools' Day, here are 10 false rumors and gags for your pranking pleasure, as well as a few hilarious pranks captured on video.

10: Artificial Ink Prank

Nothing grabs people's attention like an enormous -- and fake -- tattoo. If you happen to work in a business-casual environment, the effect is even better. Just make sure to apply it somewhere where it will be seen, like your forearms or upper chest.

Pay attention to size and quality. To go for a big fool, find the gaudiest fake ink you can. If you have a specific image in mind, Web sites offer custom fake tattoos and fake tattoo printer paper to make your own. Some costume shops carry nylon tattoo "sleeves" you can slip on if you don't want to endure an entire day with the Hell's Angels emblem plastered on your jugular.

9: Spread the Rumor: They're Building a Freezer in the Arctic!

Do photographs of polar bears floating on tiny blocks of melted glaciers break your heart into tiny pieces? Worry no more -- scientists have figured out a way to stop the Arctic from melting until efforts to halt global warming begin to take effect. A group of international scholars has outlined plans to construct a dome-shaped freezer spanning 500 acres to protect arctic wildlife. It will be funded jointly by the United States, European Union and China.

The encasement will be built from insulated Plexiglas, and solar-powered refrigeration units will maintain icy-cold conditions inside. The tentatively named Arctic Preservation Dome will also house field researchers who will study the effects of the artificial habitat on flora and fauna.

8: April Fools' Fake-out Prank

Some of the best pranks involve nothing more than mind games. No gift-wrapped office furniture or Jell-O-molded staplers necessary. Consider, for example, the April Fools' Day fake-out. This post-modernist prank within a prank is sure to baffle.

You get to your desk on the morning of April 1 to behold a large note sitting on your chair. All it says is "April Fools'!" in large, red scrawl. It's menacing and unsettling. You sit down nervously and look around your desk, but nothing's out of place. You check your voicemail and e-mail, waiting in vain for something out of the ordinary. You ask around about who wrote the note, and no one 'fesses up. The possibility of a prank at your expense lingers all day.

Try it with a note, e-mail, text message, Twitter feed or whatever medium you'd like. Just play it cool if you see the prank victim in order to not give it away.

7: Spread the Rumor: Earthquakes are the Latest Form of Energy!

We hear a lot these days about alternative energy sources and conservation. Certain diesel engines, for instance, can run on vegetable oil, and solar-powered businesses and homes are becoming more mainstream. Now, thanks to a coalition of civil and chemical engineers, the newest alternative energy source on the block transforms disaster into opportunity.

Earthquake deferral technology harnesses the power of impending quakes and converts it into usable energy. Seismic sensors will measure the activity of the Earth's plates, and piezoelectric panels embedded deep within the ground will transfer the strongest vibrations into electrical power. San Francisco -- a hotbed of earthquake activity -- will be the first municipal system to use this energy technology, starting in 2015.

Now go spread the rumor -- starting with all of your friends on the West Coast.

6: Mystery Meat Prank

Offices are germ havens. The average office employee encounters around 10 million germs each day. Disgusting? Yes. But not quite as gross as the foul lunches that sit in break room refrigerators for weeks on end. Tupperware grows murkier with mold as the days wear on.

For April Fools' Day, why not add to that simmering stew of abandoned food in the fridge? We recommend a brown paper bag duct-taped shut to keep away prying eyes. In bold lettering, add a disturbing label to the front to catch people's attention when they fish for their leftover takeout.

5: Spread the Rumor: Green Pollution! Run!

Green is the new black. Slap the word "green" in front of virtually any service or product, and you've probably got a winner. To have a little fun with the marketing trend, here's the concept of green pollution.

A new study released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has turned the quest to quell global climate change on its ear. Measuring the greenhouse gas emissions in New York City, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles, the EPA found that pollution has actually risen in the past five years in spite of conservation efforts. The primary explanation the agency has pinpointed is the ramped up production of "green" products and the widespread waste of less environmentally friendly ones. Hence the term "green pollution."

While production of cheap plastic bags is down, for instance, the greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and shipping canvas totes and reusable paper bags are up. And since hybrid cars have softened green guilt associated with driving, more cars are on the roads. Once green lifestyles become more affordable and mainstream, the EPA predicts that green pollution will plateau and then begin to decline.

4: Spread the Rumor: Sleep Is a Thing of the Past!

Eliminate the need for sleep with revolutionary REM goggles. Delta-wave sleep is the deepest type of sleep humans experience; at that point, brain wave activity reaches its lowest level. During REM sleep, when we have vivid dreams, brain activity is aroused to the same level it is when you're awake.

Taking this cue, a team of researchers at Berkeley devised REM goggles that simulate REM brain wave patterns and allow your body to sleep while remaining awake. The eyewear works through optical nerve stimulation. Imperceptible beams of LED lights embedded in the goggle frames excite the optical nerve, mimicking the same nerve firing frequency that occurs during REM sleep. That activity then stimulates REM-pattern nerve firings across the brain. Not only will you reap the benefits of a rested mind, the stylish goggles (which come in a wide assortment of colors) also improve memory.

3: Pest Control Prank

A surefire way to set off a panic in the office is to tell people that you have an insidiously contagious condition such as pink eye or head lice. Of course, we aren't suggesting that you spread said pestilence and carry out the worst possible April Fools' Day prank in history. It's all about subtle trickery.

Bring a bottle of lice powder or pink-eye medicated drops to work and casually leave it in the bathroom when no one else is around. The key for this one is stealth; don't let anyone see you leave the medications behind in the bathroom. To add more fuel to the fire, scratch your head or rub your eyes whenever you're around someone. Soon enough, co-workers will be abuzz with paranoid theories about who infected the workplace.

2: Spread the Rumor: Ladies and Gentlemen ... the Forever Dollar

Finally, a prank you can take to the bank. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced the arrival of a limited-edition dollar bill that will be printed as an additional stimulus for the economy. Taking a cue from the U.S. Postal Service, the Treasury will sell 1 million "forever dollars" from May 1, 2010 to July 1, 2010. In light of the declining worth of the dollar on the global market, the value of forever dollars will be locked in at the current conversion rate of 77 cents to the ­euro and 5 cents to the yuan.

Since forever dollars will potentially be worth more than regular currency, the Treasury will sell them for $1.05. To distinguish between forever dollars and dollars currently in circulation, the new bill will be printed with red ink, and a prominent "F" will mark each corner.

Next step: Tell your friends that you have a few of these forever dollars and are willing to sell them at a discount (say, $1.04).

1: Cubicle Rolling Prank

The classic prank of rolling a cubicle has been honed over the years into a veritable art form. These days, a cube filled to the brim with packing peanuts is old-school -- and not in a good way, like picnics and postcards. Thanks to the Internet and digital cameras, the ante is up for tra­shing an office space. Allow us to offer a few suggestions that, if executed properly, will solidify your reign as the king or queen of workplace pranks:

• Gift wrapping everything in a cubicle requires lots of time, tape and nimble fingers, but the effect is a present in itself.
• Collect all the plants from around the office and gather them all at one cubicle. Cover the desk, chair, floor space, shelves and insides of drawers.
• Coating an office with sticky notes also creates a dramatic effect. A little overdone, perhaps, but impressive nonetheless.
• Creating a nonfunctioning work space will drive a co-worker insane with frustration. Dip the ends of pens in clear nail polish, cover the bottom of a computer mouse with paper, tape down the phone receiver and rearrange keyboard buttons.

Do you have any great April Fools' Day pranks you've done, experienced, or have seen?  Let us know with a comment!

These shirts add a bit of humor for those of us who have experienced mosquitos equivalent to those on the new Land of the Lost movie.  It's only a matter of time before the Mosquito really is the State Bird of Kentucky.

Here's a picture of the shirts.  If you'd like one, they are $10 a piece and you can order by selecting your size and clicking the "Add to Cart" button below.

Orders are processed through PayPal, but you don't have to have a PayPal account to buy them.  Simply select the pay buy credit/debit card option once you are finished adding the items you want to your cart.

If you want to order different sizes in one order, choose your first size, click "Add to Cart", then click continue shopping when you see your shopping cart. Then simply select another size and click "Add to Cart" again. When you have selected all the sizes you want, click "Proceed to Checkout" on the shopping cart screen.

FREE SHIPPING

Size

Small Medium Large Extra Large

So it's time for a little hypothetical question – imagine the owner of the store/stores of your dreams races up to you and says – ‘it’s your lucky day – I’m going to give you anything in my shop up to the value of $1000′!

You’ve got an hour to choose what you want.  Anything that you want.  What would you get?

You can get as many products as you like as long as they total $1000 or less.

Leave a comment telling me what you'd get.

Let's use the prices at Amazon as a guide (they have most things).

Click here to visit Amazon and choose what your heart desires.

There wasn't nearly the 1500 kids we had expected because of the weather, but there was still a great turn-out.

I even wore my mullet wig, as we've decided the mullet wig man is now the mascot for our HelloKY.com booth.  It seems to go with the western KY theme.

There was also a costume contest in which my 2 1/2 year old little girl took first place out of approximately 50-75 other kids.

Here are a couple of pictures of us at the booth, my mullet wig, and of course the winning costume.  Make sure you keep an eye open on our Facebook Fan Page for more pictures from the Trail of Treats event.

While traditionalists prefer to roast the turkey, more people are taking this holiday classic to a whole new level. In fact, it may even be a safe option to chop up the turkey and throw it on the BBQ, rather than some of the other cooking options.

This year, more guidelines and precautions have been released for those inspired to deep fry their turkey - at home. For instance, the turkey daredevils should be sure to defrost their turkey before tossing it in the hot oil. The frying receptacle should also be positioned on a stable, flat surface in case the oil splashes out once the turkey starts to bubble.

The oil also can't get too hot - above 390 degrees Farenheit - as there's always the risk of fire when deep frying your bird. For a safer, less stressful option, try your turkey BBQ style and amaze all those who gather at your home this Thanksgiving Day.

Make sure you check out our BBQ Turkey recipe in our Dining In section.