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CELINA - A flurry of free area events will help set off the Fourth of July holiday with the thundering boom and brilliance of fireworks and a boatload of musical acts, some performing tributes to the likes of John Mellencamp, Abba and 80s hair metal acts.
Also, those who enjoy celebrating the country's independence with a close circle of family and friends in the confines of their backyards can lawfully discharge consumer-grade fireworks Monday through Wednesday and the weekend before and after the holiday, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Fort Loramie Liberty Days, a three-day celebration of the community, gets underway today at 5 p.m. at Fort Loramie Youth Park. In addition to carnival rides, bingo, turtle races, food, live music and the Miss Independence Contest, fireworks will light up the night sky starting at 10 p.m.
A group of businesses and organizations have partnered to present a fireworks show at 10 p.m. Saturday on the north shore of Celina by Celina Moose Lodge and Celina Fraternal Order of Eagles. In case of rain, the alternative date is Sunday.
Celina Insurance Group, Celina Moose Lodge, Celina Eagles, Knapke Law Office, K-Law Lures, Ohio Eagle Distributing, Pizza Hut of Celina and Boardwalk Grill & Village are sponsoring the event.
"When Freedom Days (festival) ended, it left a gap during a very special holiday weekend. It just doesn't feel like the Fourth of July without fireworks," said Bill Montgomery, president and CEO of Celina Insurance Group, in a statement to the newspaper last year. "The Freedom Days organizers did a great job of putting on a show for many years, and we and the other sponsors felt we could take up the baton."
Public places to watch the fireworks include Lake Shore Drive and West Bank Road in Celina.
This will mark the third year of the fireworks display put on by the group of sponsors.
"The Moose and Eagles wanted to continue the tradition of the Freedom Days show after the festival stopped," said Traci Willrath, Celina Eagles Club manager, in a statement to the newspaper last year. "We worked with Bill Montgomery to put together an event that would celebrate the birth of our country and found other community partners to help make it a reality."
The three-day affair starting at 7 p.m. tonight will feature many of the staples featured in years past, including Racing for Relief, a car cruise in, a dodge ball tournament, a petting zoo, food and family entertainment. New this year is a pickleball tournament at the community center at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Attendees can hear live music every day, with acts including Natalie Uhlenhake, Reflektion, Conner Albers, Evan Holcombe, 1988 (80s tribute band), Roger DeMange and Freedom Road, a John Cougar Mellencamp tribute band. There is a daily attendance drawing, and a raffle drawing on Sunday will feature over 100 prizes.
Looking to outdo themselves, organizers have expanded the Red, White and Blue Celebration to two days at Coldwater Memorial Park, compliments of Community Sports and Therapy Center.
At 6 p.m. Monday, ACT 3 Acoustic will warm up the crowd ahead of an 8 p.m. performance by Abbamania, an Abba tribute band. On Tuesday, Roger DeMange and Rick Heyne will start the party at 6:45 p.m. Material Girls will take the stage from 8-10 p.m., turning out the pop hits of Madonna, Lady Gaga, Blondie and other female superstars.
The event celebrates local fire, emergency medical services and law enforcement agencies and also promises food trucks, a beer stand and kids' activities, including a coloring contest and touch-a-truck. Children can explore police cruisers, firetrucks and ambulances.
There's no charge and attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and wear Red, White and Blue event T-shirts to honor those who serve the community.
To date, more than $20,000 has been raised for Mercer County first responders through event proceeds and T-shirt sales, per a news release.
"As we celebrate our country's Independence it is fitting that we express our appreciation and gratitude to all the safety personnel in Fire, Law, and EMS that keep us safe each and every day," said Bob Hibner, executive director of Community Sports and Therapy Center, in a statement to the newspaper. "This event is intended to celebrate our country's Independence and at the same time give tribute to all the dedicated men and women who in the past, at present and in the future keep us safe locally!"
The 73rd annual St. Joe Festival will be held Monday and Tuesday at the Auglaize County Fairgrounds in Wapakoneta. The festival will boast a plethora of food options, beer garden, pony rides, music, car show and other events, including a fireworks display at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Ohioans can now legally set off fireworks on certain holidays, under legislation signed in November 2021 by Gov. Mike DeWine that closes a long-exploited loophole in state law.
The legislation allows Ohio residents to set off fireworks on certain holidays, including New Year's Eve and Day, Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, days on and around July 4, Labor Day, and the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Under previous law, individuals could purchase consumer-grade fireworks in Ohio but had to transport them out of state within 48 hours.
As residents of many neighborhoods in the state could attest, that requirement was almost universally ignored in practice.
The new law also prohibits setting off fireworks while under the influence or on someone else's property without permission. In addition, the law allows local communities to restrict or ban the use of fireworks.
Allowable fireworks include bottle rockets, firecrackers and Roman candles. It is still illegal in Ohio to purchase display-grade fireworks without a license.
After much discussion, New Bremen Village Council members earlier this year unanimously voted against a proposed ban on fireworks.
"This went back to committee and we had a couple of meetings since our last meeting," mayor Robert Parker had said. "It was a unanimous decision in committee that we should just turn this down and let the state statute stand because there are very few properties in the village that would even be affected by it. It's not worth even pursuing at this point in time."
New Bremen Fire Chief Dan Voress and Assistant Chief Lee Kuenning had spoken out against the proposed ban.
"As the fire chief and assistant chief, we do not see a need for an ordinance to ban fireworks in the village of New Bremen," Voress had said. "In the tenure that we've had here, we've never had an issue with fireworks. I think the state specifies the days that you are allowed to set them off. Until it's a problem, I don't feel the need to overstep the state recommendations."
- The Associated Press contributed to this story.
