MECHANICSBURG – Our Towne Mechanicsburg is excited to announce the return of tractor pulls to the Summer Celebration for the second year in a row! This year’s festival is scheduled for July 8 (always the second Saturday of July), and all of the details you need to plan for this year’s festival are below.
Summer Celebration 2017 kicks off with the annual parade through town beginning at 10 a.m. from Heritage Cooperative. OTM is still actively looking for parade participants. If you or your organization would like to participate in this year’s parade, please e-mail, text or call 614-579-2120 or [email protected].
Back by popular demand for its fourth year, a team of local Indian all-stars will take on the 1860’s-era Ohio Village Muffins vintage baseball team at 11 a.m. The game will take place at the Mechanicsburg High School baseball field. If you would like to play in the game this year, please email [email protected].
The highlight of this year’s celebration is the return of professional tractor pulls again to Goshen Park in Mechanicsburg as part of Summer Celebration. The tractor pulls are sponsored by McGuire Trucking & Agricultural Services and The Dairy Parlor. Gates to Goshen Park will open at 10 a.m. July 8, with a $5 per person admission fee charged from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but kids 10 and under are free all day. The Tractor Pulls will begin at noon and run until 6 p.m. on the track, with viewing and seating on the hill. Vendors will be available at the top of Goshen Park. Primary parking for all of the events July 8 will be in the Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools parking lots. For questions about the tractor pulls, call 614-348-2729, or email [email protected].
Entrance to Goshen Park will be free beginning at 4 p.m., as Summer Celebration returns many of the favorite activities from prior years, including Children’s Sand Digs at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. We’ll keep the music and fun going into the evening, leading up to the traditional Fireworks display at approximately 10 p.m.
Our Towne would like to thank Tim’s Towing and the Cassady Family for sponsoring the Fireworks Display for the second year in a row. It is this sponsorship that allows Our Towne to bring such an impressive fireworks display to the village each year. The Cassady family members are proud graduates of Mechanicsburg schools and are making this donation to honor our local school system.
“Mechanicsburg Schools are a staple of our community, and has educated doctors, lawyers, politicians, artists, teachers and countless other successes in life. We would like to honor every teacher, coach, administrator, bus driver, janitor, school board member and all those with a hand in educating our children, past and present,” the Cassady family said.
We expect a robust mix of vendors this year, so vendors are encouraged to reserve their spot at the festival early. Vendors interested in participating in this year’s Summer Celebration need to call or text Tina at 614-584-2467.
An important part of the annual funding for this event comes from local donations, including in the buckets around town, so please consider donating. We also want to thank those local companies and individuals that have already contributed to this year’s celebration, including Tim’s Towing, Police Chief John Alexander, The Dairy Parlor, McGuire Trucking & Agricultural Services and Mechanicsburg Sand & Gravel.
In other Our Towne news, installation of the four new Mechanicsburg Welcome Signs is now complete. This project was funded primarily through sponsorship signs from local companies, and Our Towne encourages you to visit these and ALL of the great local companies around town. Sponsors include Dave Kehl Chevrolet, Darby Dental Smiles, Winners One Stop, Gentle Health Care, Tim’s Towing, Heritage Cooperative, Security National Bank, Mechanicsburg Sand & Gravel and Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, as well as private donations. Design and installation services were provided by Wibright Services. Access to land for sign placement was provided by Ron Welch, the Hickey family, Heritage Cooperative and Dave Kehl. If you are a local non-profit or civic organization and are interested in placing a sign on the new Welcome Sign boards, please call or text Dan at 614-579-2120.
Speaking of local businesses, it struck me recently how robust our town really is as I stopped in for a cup of coffee before my dental visit. Afterwards, I picked up a prescription at the pharmacy, mailed a letter at the post office, picked up some painting supplies at the hardware store, made a bank deposit and picked up a sub for lunch. On my way home, I filled up my car with gas, grabbed some groceries for dinner and picked up some medicine for our dogs. Add to this an outstanding school system and a first-class library, a bowling alley, ice cream parlor, great pizza options, women’s health, a barber, hair, tanning and massage services, Realtors and attorneys, a gym, car dealership and repair shop, AAA towing business, a new community gathering space, local watering hole and a caring police, fire and EMS team, and I realize how lucky we are to still have a vibrant American small town right in front of us!
For additional information, find Our Towne Mechanicsburg on Facebook, or visit: www.MechanicsburgOhio.org.
