Monday, July 5th, 2021
Ssssss ... BOOM! ... Ahhh
People celebrated independence from pandemic
By William Kincaid
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
The Celina Moose and Celina Eagles Lodge held a fireworks show on Grand Lake Saturday night in Celina. When people weren't watching fireworks over Grand Lake, they were boating on it.
Scores of people lathered on suntan lotion, filled up coolers and made for the outdoors on a beautiful Fourth of July weekend in Mercer County.
At once celebrating the country's independence and a fading COVID-19 pandemic, multitudes could been seen watching fireworks, boating on Grand Lake and hitting up outdoor parties and events.
The holiday weekend kicked off Friday with the St. Henry Community Picnic and Coldwater's Red, White and Blue Celebration, a night to honor and thank local law enforcers, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.
The three-day St. Henry Community Picnic saw a huge surge in attendance compared to 2020 when organizers had to slim down the event due to COVID-19.
"I'd say above and beyond (2020). Everybody was ready to come out and participate," said organizer Cory Hess. "We had a great music lineup so I think that definitely helped out quite a bit."
Sunday's Firecracker Cruise-In was one of the biggest in the picnic's history, he said.
"The car show had a fantastic turnout. They ended up with about 165 cars in it (on Sunday)," Hess said.
Many community organizations were able to raise funds over the weekend celebration.
"We just charge a commission to kind of make the picnic self-sufficient but all the organizations get to keep their proceeds that they generate throughout the weekend," Hess said. "The different church groups, the athletic boosters clubs, the Community Club, it gets spread out through the whole community."
In Coldwater on Friday night, people flocked to Coldwater Memorial Park for the Red, White and Blue Celebration that paid tribute to local peace officers and first responders. Entertainment came courtesy of Hotel California, a Toronto, Ontario-based Eagles tribute band that delighted hundreds of people from the amphitheater.
The event was put on by Community Sports & Therapy.
"I think with everything that's going on in the country, all across the United States, it's amazing. A lot of us talked about it that night," Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey said about the display of support. "We are really, really, really blessed to be in Mercer County. People are still very supportive, not just of the sheriff's office, (but) law enforcement in general, the fire and EMS."
Grey said he was impressed by the size of the crowd and the number of people who came up to talk to him and other officers, expressing thanks and asking about operations and the state of crime in the county.
"And it's nice to see people getting back to normal, being out and enjoying themselves again," he said.
On Saturday evening in Celina, The New Juju Bees got the party started at the Harley C. Jones Memorial Rotary Amphitheater in the Bryson Park District as part of the Celina Summer Concert Series. Afterwards, many stayed to watch a spectacular fireworks show over Grand Lake sponsored by The Celina Eagles and Celina Moose.
"It was a great turnout, and the fireworks themselves were really good," said Grand Lake St. Marys State Park Director Dave Faler. "I was at West Bank and it was parked beyond capacity. There were people parked in the grass. There was a lot of vehicles and a lot of people there."
Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel, in an ebullient recap of the holiday weekend, said he was tickled to see so many people enjoying themselves. Area restaurants were booming and city parks were packed with people.
"We have had one full weekend here in Celina," he told the newspaper. "Honestly I felt a lot of pride in seeing the concert in the park series and certainly the Moose and Eagles with the fireworks, just seeing literally thousands of people coming out, pulling out their lawn chairs, sitting in their vehicles, lining the shoreline along the roads."
He called it a true celebration of freedom.
Grand Lake St. Marys State Park campground, filled to capacity, was abuzz with activity all weekend long, Faler said.
"We had people coming in Wednesday and it filled up Friday," he said. "Actually we had 37 people leave (Sunday) and 37 more people come in (Sunday)."
Boats could be seen in great numbers on Grand Lake, underscoring the area's enduring appeal to locals and visitors alike.
"I have seen a drastic increase in boats in the last year. It's been very good," Faler said.
Hazel concurred.
"The lake was just covered with boats," Hazel said.
On the law enforcement front, Grey characterized the last few days as "a very normal weekend" for the sheriff's office, saying they didn't response to any major accidents or incidents as of 6 p.m. Sunday. Deputies were out in larger numbers patrolling roadways, their overtime paid in part with grant dollars aimed at getting impaired drivers off the streets. Grey said he was aware of at least one drunk driving arrest.
Celina Fire Chief Doug Wolters said his department was not called to any major incidents or accidents over the weekend aside from three drug overdoses, of which none resulted in fatalities.
"Nothing on the lake. Everything went really well out there," he said.
Members of the Celina fire and police departments and Montezuma Fire Department assisted Ohio Department of Natural Resources officers in forming a permitter with their boats around a barge where fireworks were launched from on Saturday night, preventing any boats from getting too close, he said.
Correction:
A fireworks show over Grand Lake on Saturday was sponsored by the Celina Eagles, Celina Moose, Midwest Logistics Systems and Celina Insurance Group, according to a Celina Insurance Group spokesperson.
The error was due to information provided to the newspaper.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
The Celina Moose and Celina Eagles Lodge held a fireworks show on Grand Lake Saturday night in Celina. When people weren't watching fireworks over Grand Lake, they were boating on it.
Photo by Nancy Allen/The Daily Standard
Members of the band Kevin and the Others perform Sunday at Boardwalk Grill along West Bank Road in Celina. The venue was packed during the July 4 weekend.
Photo by Nancy Allen/The Daily Standard
A pontoon gets ready to dock at Boardwalk Grill on Sunday on Grand Lake. Numerous boats, jet skis and other watercraft took to the lake over the July 4 weekend.
