NEWPORT, Ky. — Kyle and Tamara Thompson set up on the hill at Newport’s Riverfront first thing Sunday morning. She said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision that lead the couple to getting on a bus to take them to Riverfest. 

What You Need To Know

  • Riverfest is a yearly end of summer celebration

  • Newport, Covington and Cincinnati come together to make festivities and entertainment happen

  • Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend

  • Fireworks take place at the end of the evening to end

“I had woken him up at like 5 o’clock this morning and was like ‘Do you want to go down to Riverfest today?’ and he was like ’Sure why not?” Tamara Thompson said. 

Each year, Cincinnati, Covington and Newport help put on the end of summer celebration which wraps up with afireworks show. Officials earlier in the week said as many as 50,000 people could watch the show on the Newport side of the river. Visitors to Riverfest are treated to tons of food, vendors and other entertainment options. One of the vendors this year was Geo Phelps with Chili Rocks.

“Our primary item is a deep-fried Goetta Cheese Coney. We have custom made Goetta links that are about the size of a hotdog and then we put those on with chili cheese,” Phelps said. Goetta, for those who don’t know, is a loose-packed sausage found in Ohio made of pork, beef and lots of spices.

Phelps and his family are serving up their deep-fried goodness from a food truck, but his truck also honors first responders and Sept. 11.

“We’ve got something to cover every aspect of police, fire and military and everything patriotic,” Phelps said.

Fireworks will kick off at 9 p.m. and last for 30 minutes.

The cities of Cincinnati, Covington, Newport and Bellevue host the Rozzi Fireworks show. 

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