By Alixandria Wells-Good
Contributing writer
MECHANICSBURG – The annual Summer Celebration will be held on Saturday, July 13. Many activities all throughout the village will be going on the entire day. Summer Celebration is put on by the organization “Our Towne Mechanicsburg” and this year’s big sponsors are “Dave Kehl Chevrolet and Your Miami Valley Chevy Dealers” and “Oak Run Solar Project.”
The day kicks off with the 5th annual “Marshall’s Mile” which begins at 9 a.m.. Registration starts at 8 a.m. at the bottom of Goshen Park, the entry fee is $10. According to a Facebook post on the host’s page (Running 4 Life), all proceeds from the Marshall’s Mile will benefit local Veterans.
The Mechanicsburg Library will be holding “Books and Bridle” from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. This event is being held at library and gives readers of all ages the opportunity to practice their reading skills while interacting with a therapy horse and/or donkey.
The parade will begin at 2 p.m. starting at Heritage Cooperative located at 140 South Main Street. The parade will go through the village via Main Street, and end at the park. Line up for the parade is at 1:30 p.m. participants still wanted.
G-Gap band will be playing from 7 to 10 p.m. The band plays musical favorites from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Other highlights include an appearance by ‘Barney Fife’ from the Andy Griffith Show played by Terry Varvel, a touch-a-truck event beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the bottom of the park, kids sand dig at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., and a corn-hole tournament at 4 p.m. at the top of the park.
Lovers of the game of baseball can head to Goshen Park Ball Diamonds where two games of historic base ball will be held. From the Ohio History Connection, the Ohio Village Muffins team will be playing a game of historically accurate base ball at 5 p.m., while the women’s team, the Diamonds, will play at 3 p.m.. Both teams play regularly throughout Ohio as a part of the Ohio History Connection, many of which are held at their home field “Muffins Meadow” located in the Ohio Village. The teams do everything as teams would do in 1860, including wearing time-period-appropriate uniforms, playing by time-period-appropriate rules, and demonstrating their “gentlemanly behavior” according to the Ohio History Connection’s website.
The day will come to a close with a firework display that begins at 10 p.m. The fireworks will be set off from back half of lower Goshen Park.
Dan Eck, Our Towne Mechanicsburg’s treasurer, says “We are especially excited that, thanks to our very generous sponsors, including Dave Kehl Chevrolet and Your Miami Valley Chevy Dealers and the Oak Run Solar Project, this years’ fireworks will be the biggest display with the largest number of shells in the history of Summer Celebration!”
If interested in being a part of the parade or a player for either base ball game, Eck can be contacted by text at 614-579-2120.
More details of all the festivities can be found on the “Our Towne Mechanicsburg” Facebook page.
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