Fluorspar Festival reaches 50th year

The Hardin County Fluorspar Festival honors the favorite mineral of Hardin County with three days of early fall recreation.

Beginning Oct. 2 with the 7 p.m. Fluorspar Pageant and ending dusk Saturday with a riverfront fireworks display, the Rosiclare festival offers a little something for young and old.

The Fluorspar Mining Industry has had a tremendous influence and impact on both the local community and world since the late 1800s. One weekend a year Rosiclare and Hardin County celebrate all those who have toiled in the fluorspar mines and the sacrifices that were made, according to a release from the committee.

This is the 50th celebration of festival and a return to roots is the goal. The festival started with highlighting local bands in the Fluorspar Parade. An "all-band reunion" is scheduled to perform this year, as wells the tradition beauty pageant paying tribute to past queens, fun-filled days of carnival and cotton candy and a special guest appearance by a home-grown movie star.

The Ohio River Scenic Byway is partnering with the City of Rosiclare for a groundbreaking event for a Fluorspar Miners' Memorial Saturday at the Main Street Pavilion. With the help of state and federal funds, the project will honor the lives of those lost for the cause of fluorspar mining. The legacy and changes made to the Mine Safety Act and lasting impact on the community, the state, the nation and world will be remembered.

The schedule is:

Thursday

7 p.m. - Fluorspar Pageant at High School Commons.

Friday

5 p.m. - Children's games at band pavilion.

5:30 p.m. - Pet Parade at band pavilion.

6:30 p.m. - Bicycles, golf cart, utility vehicles parade at 6:30 p.m. on Main Street.

7 p.m. - Bicycle judging and ribbons at Banterra Bank parking lot. Golf cart and utility vehicle judging and ribbons on Third Street.

Saturday

8 a.m. - Barbecue sales by Masonic Lodge.

All day - Carnival at Rosiclare Ball Park, vendors on Main Street.

8:30 a.m. - Registration for Annual Car and Motorcycle Show at the Rosiclare City Park on the river front.

10 a.m. - Winners of the Noel E. Hurford Memorial Photo Contest will be announced at Rose Clare Craft and Antique Mall.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Open House at the American Fluorite Museum.

10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Pre-parade entertainment.

Noon - Fluorspar Miners' Memorial groundbreaking at the band pavilion.

2 p.m. - 50th Anniversary Fluorspar Festival Parade on Main Street.

3 p.m. - Corn Hole Tournament at the north end of Rosiclare Park.

Dusk - Fireworks at Rosiclare City Park on the river front.