CENTERBURG – Heart of Ohio will be kicking off its 12th annual ‘USA Days’ festival at Centerburg’s Memorial Park on Wednesday night.
The festival will run through Saturday and include live bands, a karaoke contest, fireworks and more. Admission and parking are free. Here is this year’s festival schedule:
Wednesday
5 p.m. – Midway opens (park is open for rides and food)
6 p.m. – Registration for lip sync contest, open to all ages
7 p.m. – Lip Sync Battle (first annual)
Thursday
5 p.m. – Midway opens (park is open for rides and food)
6:30 p.m. – Little Miss Liberty/Uncle Sammy Pageant
7 p.m. – LIVE BAND: Sawmill Ridge (bluegrass)
Friday
5 p.m. – Midway opens (park is open for rides and food)
6 p.m. – LIVE BAND: February Star (rock and pop)
8 p.m. – LIVE BAND: Stadium 11 (classic rock)
Saturday
11 a.m. – Big Parade (with “Sweet Land of Liberty” theme)
12 p.m. – Midway opens (park is open for rides and food)
12:30 p.m. – Flag raising and Centerburg High School Band concert
1 p.m. – Princess Party
2 p.m. – State-sponsored Kiddie Tractor Pull (registration begins at 1 p.m.)
2 p.m. – Ciara McVay performs
4 p.m. – Karaoke Competition Grand Finale
6 p.m. – LIVE BAND: Shades of Blue (original 60’s vocal group)
8 p.m. – LIVE BAND: Spinning Jenny (all-girl rock group)
10 p.m. – Fireworks Extravaganza
What’s new
After declining attendance during the festival’s traditional ‘Church Night’ on Wednesday, where local church leaders would lead the crowd in patriotic hymns, the festival board decided to introduce a new element to opening night: a lip-sync competition.
“I guess the Tomato Show in Fredericktown has that, and one of our people had been there and thought it was really cute,” Heart of Ohio chair of entertainment, fundraising and publicity Candy McCracken said. “So we’re trying that. We don’t know how it’s going to go over.”
Along with the opening night changeup, Saturday’s schedule will be a lot busier this year.
McCracken discovered visitors would typically came for the parade and the flag raising in past years, but would then leave the park and return in the evening for live music and fireworks.
In an effort to attract more people to the festival during Saturday’s afternoon hours, McCracken and the festival board started the ‘Princess Party,’ which will feature two Mansfield natives who will act as real-life, Disney-like princesses for children to interact with.
“I mean, their costumes are exactly like the ones at Disney World,” McCracken said. “They look so good.”
The board also brought a state-sanctioned Kiddie Tractor Pull to the festival this year. Because it is a state-sponsored event, the winner will advance to the state finals in August. If they win there, they will go to nationals in South Dakota.
McCracken believes this event could potentially attract families from outside the region due to its high stakes.
After the Princess Party and the Kiddie Tractor Pull, McCracken expressed her excitement for this year’s Karaoke Competition.
“We do have some outstanding singers this year,” she said. “It’s going to be tough.”
The bands
Sawmill Ridge is a bluegrass band based in central Ohio. The band “infuses itself with a traditional rich sound which comes from the love of bluegrass,” Heart of Ohio’s website states.
February Star is a local rock and pop band that “plays a massive and popular list of alternative, pop and rock songs from all generations to current day,” the website says.
Stadium 11 is a band based in central Ohio that plays “premier classic rock act that pays tribute to the greatest songs and performances from the greatest groups in rock music.” The act performs recreations of hits from bands like Journey, Styx, Boston, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Elton John, Wings, Yes, and Led Zeppelin.
Shades of Blue is a Detroit-based vocal quartet that owned the top of the charts in 1966 with their hit, “Oh How Happy.” The hit climbed to the number one slot on Detroit-based radio stations within just three weeks. The band has performed for “numerous sold-out audiences all over the world,” according to Heart of Ohio’s website.
Spinning Jenny is an all-girl rock band that consists Dr. John Balzano and his three daughters – Julia, Talia and Angelina.
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