Village Fourth of July celebration is finally here

Well, I’ve been writing about the Woodville Fourth of July celebration for weeks and now it’s finally (almost) here.

Although I am writing this column before the weekend, by the time you are reading it, the tents will be up and the committee will have assembled the stages, set up the bingo and beer tents, and taken care of numerous other details in preparation. It will be a hectic week, but somehow, it will all come together. It always does.

The celebration will unofficially open Wednesday night with polka music in the beer tent. The Hank Haller Ensemble will play from 7 to 11 p.m. Participants in the 5K can stop by the raffle stand from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to pick up their race packets early or even register if they have not already done so.

The midway will not be open on Wednesday, so there will be no rides, games or concessions.

The full celebration, complete with rides and concessions, will open at 5 p.m. Thursday. Race day registration will open at 5 p.m. at the bridge. The Kids One Mile Fun Run will begin at 7:04 p.m., and the 5K Run Walk will start at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday night also will feature Heidi’s Twirlers at 6:30 p.m. and the Kiddie Tractor Pull at 8 p.m. The Part-Timers will be the evening’s entertainment in the beer tent, and the ever popular Game Show will be on the front stage at 8 p.m.

The midway will again open at 5 p.m. Friday. The band Tom Foolry will play on the front stage beginning at 6 p.m., and Elmore Fudd will be on stage in the beer tent beginning at 7:30.

The biggest highlight of the celebration, the fireworks, will begin about 10 p.m. Friday.

Saturday will be the busiest day, starting with a Wiffle ball tournament to benefit the Woodmore Softball Team starting at 10 a.m. The Kiddie Matinee will start at noon and wrap up with the Kids’ Bicycle Drawing at 5 p.m. The Woodville School Reunion, an annual event, will begin at 1 p.m. The Car Show will be in the orchard from 2 to 5 p.m.

This year’s Kiddie and Grand Parades will be at 6 p.m. Saturday. The parade route will begin on Cherry Street, include parts of College Avenue and Erie Street, and end back at the park. Parade winners will be announced on the front stage about 30 minutes after the parade ends.

Saturday night’s entertainment will include The Part-Timers on the front stage and Tom Foolry in the beer tent.

There have been several almost-last-minute changes. For the most recent updates, or to register for either the parade or the 5K, check the Fourth of July celebration website at www.woodville.net/fourth.

Historical society

The next meeting of the Woodville Historical Society is at 7:30 p.m. July 7 in the Woodville Library.

This month’s speaker will be Christie Weininger, director of Hayes Presidential Center. She will be speaking about the life of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Lego Club

This month’s Lego Club at the Woodville Library will be a week later than normal because of the July Fourth holiday.

Kids are invited to bring their imaginations at 10 a.m. July 10. The library will supply the Legos.

Holiday closings

Last week, I mentioned that many businesses and government offices would be closed July 3, as the holiday falls on Saturday this year.

I mistakenly included the banks and the post office. They will be open on Friday but closed on Saturday. The library and the village offices, however, will be closed Friday.

Rene Dix’s column appears each Monday. She can be reached at 419-307-0914 or rene.dix@email.com.