CENTERBURG – It seemed like every obstacle that arose this year would make having a successful Heart of Ohio USA Days totally impossible. But somehow the” little committee that could” pulled it off. A lot of the planning had to be on hold until the group was assured that the pandemic was over and that the event could actually be held.
All of the entertainment was still in place from the cancelled 2020 event, so it was easy to just do new contracts and only have to change the dates. Other bigger things began to go wrong and most at the last minute.
Lisa and Troy Kissell from Cincinnati came through with rides for the festival after their originally booked venue canceled. Though the Kissells are a small outfit, with only six rides, they were appreciated. They also had a food trailer and some game concessions. They were very nice people, and there are plans to try to get a contract with more rides and more teen/adult rides as all but one ride there were mainly for the younger kids.
The field across the road, which the festival previously used for parking, and the area behind it, which was used for the fireworks launch site, were unavailable this year. This was due to the state replacing the bridge at the junction of state routes 3 and 314. So there could now be no walkway beneath it, so a safe way into the park was impossible.
Superintendent Mike Hebenthal of Centerburg Schools arranged for two school buses and drivers who shuttled the festivalgoers from the high school to the park, with fuel and wages paid for by the association. The Oldtime Farming Festival each September will be in the same boat with the loss of the parking field. One of its members farms the land just north on 314 past the trail that runs alongside the park. He is seeding five acres for parking, which will benefit both festivals going forward.
Working closely with COJFD Fire Chief Mark McCann and Hamburg Fireworks Display Inc., it took a lot of inspecting maps and land, but the committee found the best possible site for launch, and finally all of the details were settled. The show was its usual spectacular event, certainly better than most areas nearby. The group has never had complaints on the fireworks, only compliments. It was found that the usual high spot on the park’s hill had a partially blocked view due to the large several trees in the park itself. Everyone just moved downhill a bit and the view was perfect.
Despite a bleak weather forecast for Friday and Saturday – when most events were scheduled to take place, including the parade and fireworks – there was only a short rainfall on Friday around 5 p.m. which quickly dried up, and it stayed nice for the rest of the evening and all through Saturday.
The entire event went off perfectly.
Thursday night had its largest attendance ever for an opening weeknight. The Little Miss Liberty and Little Uncle Sammy pageant was at 7 p.m., with two boys and six girls competing. Parker Penman was Uncle Sammy and Shelly Clarke Miss Liberty. All received gift bags from Tradye Machine and Tool, and the winners received $50 each from First Federal Savings & Loan. Following the pageant was Remy and Friends. Remy delighted both the children and the adults with his mix of ventriloquism, magic, illusions and balloon animals. People asked to have him back.
Friday saw a decent crowd for the rain scare, but those there enjoyed the talents of the Brian Panke Band and 23 Southbound band. The 50-50 drawing for $248 was won by Darius Hardwick of Hardwick Tree Care, who promptly donated his winnings back to the festival.
Saturday dawned beautifully. The parade kicked off at 11 a.m. with the family of Captain Peter Hayden Chapman aboard as the USA Days festival honored him for his ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, where he volunteered to pilot a helicopter rescue mission at which he was shot down along with five crew members. Their remains were undiscovered for 25 years and returned home in 1997. The float featured both the U.S. and Air Force flags and large poster sized pictures of Chapman along with many red, white and blue touches.
Once the parade ended, a ceremony was held at the park in his honor. Mayor Greg Sands offered a proclamation naming June 26 as Hayden Chapman Day and presented the framed document to the family. A memorial plaque was also given to the family by Candy McCracken, who organized the event. The national anthem was then played as local Boy Scouts raised the flag and then lowered it to half-staff to honor Chapman for the day.
The afternoon then began with the "Frozen 2" princesses, Elsa and Anna, live and in person. They sang all of their "Frozen" songs a capella and then had a dance party with music from many Disney movies. The princesses then left the stage to a spot in the park, where the many little girls, dressed in their best princess dresses, got to meet Elsa and Anna in person and get photos. They were busy for the entire four hours.
The State of Ohio Sanctioned Kid’s Tractor Pull began at 2 p.m., and the lively crowd cheered on their favorites. Thirty-eight boys and girls took part. The first-place winners in each age group were Beckett Cowen, 4; Isabella Gress, 5; Mavrik Waggoner, 6; Anthony Mitchell, 7; Easton Mattix, 8; Colton Rudrick, 9; Grady Easterday, 10; Colton Gress, 11; and Julius McLaughlin, 12. These winners will now compete in the state finals for a chance to go to the nationals in South Dakota.
Another popular thing for the kids was a Build Your Own Animal station. Just like Build-A-Bear, but you could choose not only bears but dogs, horses, even unicorns. Once a child chose the animal, he or she pushed the button that made the stuffing blow in, then a heart was chosen and placed inside where it was quickly closed up. With the larger animals, you got a free T-shirt that featured the logo of the festival.
A girl band (with dad), Spinning Jenny, took the stage at 6 p.m. with a large crowd enjoying the show. Adults could also watch the shows while enjoying an adult beverage in the beer garden nearby.
The Green 13 band then took the stage at 8 p.m., and the crowd continued to grow.
The 50-50 drawing was won by Don Baker, with his share being $418.
Long lines at the food trucks intermingled with the large crowd on the food court. The crafters’ booths in the small park were kept very busy all day selling all types of items such as candles, pies, wood carved items, jewelry and much more. There were more crafters than in prior years.
Sunday morning cleanup was assisted by the Serve the Burg committee along with festival staff members.
This year was probably the best festival in its 16-year history. The weather, number of attendees, record-setting amounts for all fundraisers all added up to a huge success. The committee wants to thank all for their generosity and support this year, and everyone who attended seemed to be genuinely happy to have it return after our long year of the pandemic. The committee was also happy that even with all of the issues that could have been a death sentence for the festival, everything could not have gone better, and committee members hope the public loved it as much as they loved bringing it back this year. Also, their main fundraiser is the annual Car Show at the park, this year on Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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