U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Fourth festivities around Cowtown

By Bram Fulk

This Friday, July 3rd, downtown Columbus will be overrun by all sorts of people looking to celebrate our country's independence in the best way possible: blowin' shit up! Blasting stuff to hell replaced baseball as our national pastime long ago, and why not? There's nothing wrong with a little harmless flash and boom and there's no other country in the world that does it like us. What else can bring a grown Texan to tears like lighting up the sky with rocket after rocket carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars of designer TNT - the whole scene expertly set to the sounds of the incomparable Lee Greenwood? Nothing, that's what.

While Red White and Boom promises to provide you with adequate bang for your taxpayer's buck, the area around the festivities will surely be more than a bit crowded. So if you still want to get your fireworks fill this freedom season but aren't into swimming in a sea of fellow gawkers, here are a few other Fourth of July celebrations around town you might want to look into.

Gahanna freedom festival

Running from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on the 4th, the Gahanna Freedom Festival will take place at the Olde Gahanna/Gahanna Municipal Golf Course and is free to the public. The Star-Spangled event will get started with a parade put on by the Gahanna Lion's Club and will feature games, music, and activities designed to be fun for all ages. The festival will, of course, feature fireworks after dark.

Grove City's blast at Beulah

From 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the 4th, Beulah Park will be chock full of patriotic entertainment and freedom-focused family fun. The celebration will honor military personnel and pay tribute to veterans throughout the day, with all the festivities leading up to the blast's big fireworks bash.

Independence Day celebration - Dublin Coffman High School

Go green this 4th by checking out the festivities in the City of Dublin. The Irish will kick off the day with their annual fishing derby, as well as a community-wide parade. Then there'll be live music and Frisbee-catching acrobat dogs to keep you entertained until the main event explodes onto scene a few minutes before 10 p.m.

The Columbus Symphony Picnic with the Pops: patriotic pops

The CSO's Pops series is back this year and they're taking on the 4th as they always do - with a night filled with spirit-lifting, pulse-pounding patriotic music. For $13 a person, you can sit out in the picnic area, take your own dinner, and enjoy the sounds of one of the country's best symphony orchestras. At the conclusion of the show, you'll be treated to "one of the city's most brilliant displays of fireworks!" Every year, this show is an absolutely wonderful way to spend the holiday.

Glorious fourth: Independence Day celebration

This is what the Ohio Historical Society is calling their celebrations on the 4th this year. Consider this event fun for a price. Twelve bucks gets you into the noon to 5 p.m. event that is set to feature a grand procession, patriotic speeches, and a concert by the Ohio Village Singers. The other big draw is a 'greased pole contest.' That sounds like something you could do on your own, though, just by taking a tub of Vaseline with you to the gentlemen's club. There will also be baseball, tug-o-war, and pie-eating contests. Definitely up the alley of those looking for old-fashioned fun. Note: no fireworks - they're past the OHS's bedtime.

Originally Published: July 1, 2009

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