Hot dogs. Apple pie. Red, white and blue banners rippling in the breeze. And at the heart of everything— the small town.
It likely doesn ' t get more American than that.
That ' s why, for America ' s 250th birthday, which is being celebrated this year from sea to shining sea, the entire Pulaski County community is coming together for what ' s being billed as the " Biggest Small Town Fourth of July Celebration in America."
This celebration will be headlined by the long-awaited opening of Horse Soldier Farms, Somerset ' s own new bourbon distillery and entertainment complex designed to help put this community on Kentucky ' s famed Bourbon Trail. It ' s especially appropriate that a distillery operated by American military veterans— famous for going into Afghanistan on horseback after 9 / 11 and inspiring the movie " 12 Strong "— will be opening on the Fourth of July, and not just any Independence Day but the one celebrating a milestone for this nation.
Along with that will be held a two-day Professional Bull Riders( PBR) American Freedom Invitational event there at the new Horse Soldier Facility at the site of the former Waitsboro Hills Golf Course, off of Slate Branch Road in southern Pulaski County, that is designed to help put Somerset on the professional bull riding map, and make for an unforgettable moment in this community ' s history.
In fact, Lake Cumberland 250 will be bigger than just the July 4 weekend. While the core of the itinerary will be a celebration over a week long, from June 25 up through the holiday, it is actually being celebrated all year long throughout the county and Lake Cumberland region, making it unique among the fruited plains of the United States.
Straight from the Horse Soldier ' s Mouth
A group called the Horse Soldiers have to know how to make a grand entrance. So for the grand opening of Horse Soldier Farms, nothing less than a history-making celebration would do.
" The entire initiative began with a bold vision from our partners at Horse Soldier Farms," said Michelle Allen, executive director of Lake Cumberland Tourism, which joined with City of Somerset Tourism and its director Leslie Ikerd, Burnside Tourism and its director Aimee Mills, as well as other entities in the area, to help make the distillery ' s America 250 dream happen for Somerset and its surrounding communities.
Specifically, noted Allen, Horse Soldier Bourbon President Scott Neil " said it plainly "— that they wanted to help create the biggest small-town July Fourth celebration in American.
June 2026 SEKY- Southeast Kentucky Life • 7