Columbus 4th Of July Celebration Kicks Off Tomorrow

(Columbus) There will be several events celebrating the 4th of July holiday happening in Columbus. The five-day festival gets underway Tuesday at Fireman’s Park and runs through this Saturday. The event kickoffs with the country band Fifth Gear playing on the mainstage at 7:30pm. Wednesday activities include a Firecracker 5K Run/Walk, a carnival midway which continues throughout the festival and the popular Columbus 4th of July Parade begins at noon.

Organizer Tory Weidemann says when picking the parade marshals, organizers sought out veterans who could represent different military conflicts throughout American history. Stan McAliley is a Korean War veteran, Dale Sennhenn is a Vietnam War veteran and Merlin Tiedt served in the Persian Gulf War. Weidemann says Richard Zehfus, who was a Ward War II veteran, was going to be their fourth parade marshal but unfortunately passed away and will be posthumously recognized for his service.

Fireworks will be set off around dusk on Wednesday, weather permitting. The movie Peter Rabbit will be shown on Thursday at 8pm with free admission. Dexter Road will be playing on Friday at 7:30pm. On Saturday, Doodlebug the Clown will be creating balloon animals and there will be musical performances by Jesse Walker, Randy Kiel and Cherry Pie. Weidemann says any changes to the schedule will be updated on their Facebook page. The parade will also be streamed live on DailyDodge.com.