06/12/2026
NEWS RELEASE
for immediate release June 11, 2026
contact: Al Cross, Clinton County Community Foundation, 502-682-2848 or [email protected]
Spirit of 76 Celebration will feature free concerts by stars, fireworks, golf tournaments,
historical and patriotic presentations, a 7.6-mile race, and more on July 3 and 4 near Albany,
Kentucky
SEVENTY SIX, Ky. – The 250-year history of the United States of America has been written
not only in places like Philadelphia, New York and Washington, but in every community in the country
– including the historic community of Seventy Six in Southern Kentucky.
So, where better to celebrate the spirit of 1776 than the only place in America named Seventy
Six?
That’s the question being asked – and the invitation being issued – by folks in Clinton County,
who are staging what looks to be the area’s biggest celebration ever and one of the more interesting
celebrations of America’s semi-quincentennial on the weekend of July 3 and 4.
The schedule includes free concerts by country, bluegrass and Americana music stars; a huge
fireworks show; golf tournaments, a 7.6-mile race, and historical and patriotic presentations that will
highlight the contributions of Seventy Six and the county to the history of Kentucky and the nation.
Seventy Six is best known today for 76 Falls on Lake Cumberland, and the 76 Falls Country
Club on KY 3062 (off KY 90) will be the site of free concerts by rising and established music stars.
On Friday, July 3, the 8 p.m. headliner will be Colton Bowlin of Albany, whose album
“Grandpa’s Mill” has been called one of the best country albums of the year. The opening acts,
starting at 6 p.m., will be locals Kristen Hunter and Thomas Oesterreicher, who is part of the Thomas
extended family who made music for decades at Renfro Valley and much of Kentucky.
The free concert Saturday, July 4, will begin with EmiSunshine at 6 p.m., followed by award-
winning singer-songwriter Larry Cordle and his reunited Lonesome Standard Time band at 7. The
headliner at 8 will be Chris Knight of Slaughters, Ky., long a big and popular voice of rural America.
The 76 Falls Country Club will start the weekend schedule with the “Battle of 76” golf
tournament at 8 a.m. Friday. The next morning at 8, it will host “The Spirit of 76 at 76,” limited to 76
players.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, scores of runners are expected for a 7.6-mile race from the 76 Falls
Recreation Area on Lake Cumberland to the public square in Albany, where the Clinton County High
School Alumni Band will perform. From 8 to 10 a.m., VFW Post #1096 on Hopkins Street in Albany
will host a free breakfast, limited to veterans and their spouses.
Seventy Six no longer has a post office, but for more than a century it was one of the leading
communities in the region, and it produced many political and business leaders, including the Semple
family, whose members were early leaders of the republic and state of California, and Sen. Ed P.
Warinner, who was a leader in the Kentucky legislature and state Republican politics in the 1950s.
The history of the community and its families will be highlighted at the historic Seventy Six
Baptist Church, founded in 1822, and at the Mount Union Christian Church near 76 Falls. At these
and other locations, there will be portrayals of historical figures in period costumes, and Uncle Sam
on stilts.
At noon on Friday and Saturday, poet, author and former school superintendent Rudy Thomas
will give a walking lecture on “The Importance of Place,” about the development of Seventy Six,
starting at the 76 Falls Recreation Area and going less than half a mile down KY 3062 to the Mount
Union Christian Church, which will be the alternate site of the weather is inclement.
At 1:30 each day at Mount Union, former Eastern Kentucky University provost Rodney Piercey
Jr. will lecture on Benjamin Franklin’s role in the American Revolution. His brother Terry will display
and discuss part of his extensive collection of Native American artifacts (this is on Indian Creek!) and
their sister Vickie Piercey May will demonstrate how to spin wool on their grandmother’s spinning
wheel.
At 3 p.m. each day, Mount Union will host a screening of the KET-aired documentary, From
Honor to Medal: The Story of Garlin M. Conner, an hour-long film about local resident Murl Conner’s
heroism in World War II and the unusual but successful effort to get him the Medal of Honor 20 years
after his death, followed by a panel discussion including State Treasurer Mark Metcalf, a veterans’
advocate.
The Seventy Six Baptist Church, at the junction of KY 734 and KY 639, will have different
programs each day, and a quilt display both days. On Friday from 1 to 3 p.m., speakers will discuss
local history and families. Gospel singing will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, with the Tim Riddle Singers,
the Cross Brothers from Byrdstown, Tenn., Ryan Thomas, and the Albany Community Chorus. At 3
p.m. Carl Sasser will serve his homemade ice cream, and there will be more discussions of family
history.
From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the 76 Falls Country Club, there will be children’s activities,
including patriotic temporary face tattoos, co****le and a vintage bag toss. From 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
weather permitting, the ReMax hot-air balloon will offer tethered rides at a lot near the country club.
Following the Chris Knight concert, the crowd will be treated to a huge show from LT’s
Fireworks.
The Spirit of 76 Celebration is a project of the Clinton County Community Foundation and is
funded almost entirely by private donations and sales of commemorative items, including a keepsake
program with many historical articles and photographs. Articles are being published on the
Celebration website, AlbanyKySpiritof76.blogspot.com, and its Facebook and Instagram pages.
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Notes to editors, which you are free to publish as you wish:
The derivation of the place name Seventy Six is uncertain, but circumstantial evidence
suggests that it had something to do with the pioneers’ celebration of our nation’s independence.
Contrary to some belief, it does not reflect the height of the waterfall before the impoundment of Lake
Cumberland.
The “76” flag is the Bennington flag, which is believed to have been flown by patriots at the
Battle of Bennington, a turning point of the American Revolution. It led to the Battle of Saratoga,
which gave American forces their first strategic advantage in the war.
