MOUNT VERNON – With less than two days until Ariel-Foundation Park’s ‘4th of July Celebration,’ park marketing director Carrie Haver described where to park and what to expect at this year’s event.
Parking
While there will be parking on-site, Haver said that it “usually fills up pretty quickly.”
There will be parking at The Lakes, entering from Madison Avenue, The Meadows off of Pittsburgh Avenue, near the Clock House off of Pittsburgh Avenue, and in the parking area off of Harcourt Road.
Parking in front of the Schnormeier Event Center is handicapped only. There will be no parking on the grass. As parking gets filled at the park, roads leading into the park from Columbus Road will be closed, although they will still be open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Haver suggested that visitors park on the streets surrounding the park and walk in on the Kokosing Gap Trail, or they can park at the Mount Vernon High School auditorium and get to the park using KAT shuttle buses.
Downtown lots and street parking will also be open on Wednesday, as no city time limits will be enforced.
Dining
Festivities will begin at 3 p.m., with 14 food vendors lined up near the restrooms by The Lakes and directly in front of the Schnormeier Events Center. It will consist mostly of fair food – barbecue, fried food, ice cream, kettle corn and lemonade.
Beer and wine will also be sold at the events center.
Listening
The Central Ohio Bass Brand will begin playing at the events center at 4 p.m., leading the way for ‘Beginnings,’ a Chicago tribute band, which will take the stage at 8 p.m.
Beginnings has performed across the country over the past decade – everywhere from Las Vegas to Walt Disney’s Epcot Center. They will be playing Chicago songs from over a 40-year time span, including five No. 1 albums and 20 top-ten hits.
Viewing
Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m. Haver said that the fireworks are best viewed outside the events center, and that many will typically sit on the terraces to watch them.
They can also be seen from the lakeside portion of the park.
Haver warned that no dogs or pets will be allowed in the events center due to health precautions.
“We always encourage them to think about their animals when it comes to fireworks anyway because it makes a lot of them very nervous or hurts their ears,” Haver said.
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While Haver noted that no major changes were made to this year’s festival, she said visitors should be aware of the intense daytime heat. Temperatures are expected to climb to 92 degrees on Wednesday afternoon.
“I would just tell people to bring lots of water,” Haver said. “And we will have water for sale, too.”
The pyrotechnic staff will be keeping an eye on the weather as well, as scattered thunderstorms are forecasted for Wednesday afternoon.
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