Enon and New Carlisle are prepared to step up and make this an Independence Day weekend to remember.
New Carlisle
New Carlisle will start the holiday weekend on Saturday with a farmers market at 201 S. Main St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the place to pick up healthy snacks for later events and fresh vegetables for the big barbecues on the Fourth.
The New Carlisle Community Pool will be open Saturday beginning at noon. But it will stay open until 11 p.m. so that swimmers may get a good view of the nearby fireworks. The concession stand will also feature special food options. DJ TB4 will provide music for the event. General admission that day will be $6 for adults and $5 for kids.
It seems appropriate that this day was also selected for the annual cannonball contest, which will take place at 3 p.m. There is a $50 prize, so this should be a serious competition.
Fireworks will be returning to the skies of western Clark County on July 3. A community event begins at 8 p.m. at Haddix Field, 434 N. Main St., and will continue until the fireworks are over. Local food vendors will be joined by a few food trucks to make sure everyone has plenty to eat during the show.
A normal day at the pool is planned on Sunday, July Fourth, meaning the pool will be open from noon to 8 p.m.
City offices will be closed on Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day.
Last-minute information and pool membership forms can also be found at the city’s new website, at https://newcarlisle.net/.
Enon
Meanwhile across the Mad River, Enon VFW Post 8437 will be putting on a big community celebration that will build up to the annual July 3 fireworks show.
A local band named Termites the Infestation! will provide music, with sound by Dan Maloon.
As usual, the VFW is inviting the community to come and to bring coolers.
The First Mad River Light Artillery will have an historical presentation at 7 p.m. This group will be in Revolutionary War uniforms and be firing an exact replica of the bronze cannon that Col. George Rogers Clark had at the Battle of Peckuwe. The FMRLA is affiliated with the Clark County Park District and the George Rogers Clark Heritage Association and the Fair at New Boston. A shot from the full-sized cannon will begin the fireworks show when it is dark enough.
On Sunday at 1 p.m. the Fourth of July the parade units will begin gathering at Indian Valley School.
Participants in this year’s parade will be the Greenon Band, the Greenon FFA queen and floats or vehicles sponsored by many local businesses or local officials.
The parade will begin at 2 p.m., which is an hour later than it usually begins to allow those who participate in other events to get to the Indian Valley parking lot on time.
“It’s Sunday, and we typically have churches who participate and have service until 12, so (it’s a) 1 p.m. line-up and 2 p.m. start,” said Jennifer Wendling. “(The) lineup will be behind Indian Valley School, look for signs.”
The Independence Day parade is sponsored and organized by the Enon/Mad River Fire and EMS. Some additions to the parade will still be accepted. Email 4thofjulyparade@madriverfireandems.org to sign up as soon as possible.
A flyover by the Careflight helicopter will start the parade.
Following the usual route, not the helicopter, the parade will march north up Xenia Drive and turn right at the stoplight onto East Main.
Remember this has always been a joyfully noisy parade with lots of very loud sirens. Be sure to bring ear plugs for yourself and ear protection for babies and young children.
The parade will stop at the firehouse where a free small lunch for participants and members of the village and township will be served. Donations will be accepted.
Music at the firehouse will be provided by New Mountain Heritage, a bluegrass band. Township resident Doyle Wright is a member of the band.
Grand marshal of the parade is Kathy Estep, an Enon resident since 1964. She and her husband, Bill Estep, have two sons, Benjamin and Matthew, a daughter-in-law, Kerry, and a grandson, Sasha.
Always involved in the community, Estep was an American government and social studies teacher for 35 years in the Greenon Local School District. She served on Enon Village Council from 1996-2000 and as a Mad River Twp. trustee from 2000-2020.
Being a lifetime member of the Enon Historical Society, Estep knows how to stir apple butter and has been involved in numerous volunteer activities including Citizens Against Mining and Mud Run Conservancy.
Beyond Enon and New Carlisle
Frankly, I’d love to stand on a hill exactly halfway between Enon and New Carlisle at dark on July 3 and watch both sets of fireworks.
But more options abound: There is a third fireworks show — in Springfield — at the same time.
The Buck Creek Boom will be launched from the Ferncliff area next to Buck Creek. Organizers say this fireworks show should be visible from a wide area. I wonder if I can find a place to see all three at once, and not get poison ivy.
Please remember that some of our veterans who served in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm or Afghanistan have a hard time with all the private fireworks some folks shoot in the neighborhoods. Please be understanding of our heroes and move to a different location if they ask. Respect, please.
This is also a good time to be mindful of pets, who may be alarmed by all the noise. Keep your fur family locked up if you can and watch for panicked runaways on the streets.
John Adams, one of America’s Founding Fathers, suggested that we celebrate with fireworks. I think western Clark County agrees. No matter where you are July 3, there should be some fireworks close to you.
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