Chillicothe Noon Rotary Club exceeds fundraising goal for 4th of July firework show
CHILLICOTHE— Chillicothe will have the premier 4th of July firework show in southern Ohio on Monday after the Chillicothe Noon Rotary Club exceeded its fundraising goal.
Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney said the show will be twice as big as past years' shows.
During his ten years in office, Feeney said the city finances have been tight. There have been years when the city couldn't allocate money for the show and relied solely on fundraising. The city had $15,000 to put towards the firework show but wanted to do something different.
The Chillicothe Noon Rotary Club announced in January that they would be assisting the city in raising funds for the 4th of July fireworks show to take the show to the next level.
"We're in the business of providing good services. We're not great fundraisers," Feeney said. "That brings in the Rotary folks."
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Bill Knoles with the Chillicothe Noon Rotary Club said this year's goal was to raise $30,000. The club exceeded its goal and raised enough for a firework show that will be two to three times larger.
The remaining funds will be saved for next year's show. The ultimate goal for the city is to maintain or grow the size of the firework show each year to make Chillicothe's 4th of July a must-see event.
"The winds around best hometown and the top 15 destinations to visit. I think this fits nicely within that. If people are coming to see World Heritage or if they're just wanting to come up from Jackson or wherever they might be, this just is another feather in our hat," Feeney said. "We believe this is the start of something big for years and years to come."
The Ohio Pyrotechnic Arts Guild (OPAG), a nonprofit association of firework professionals, will be curating the firework show. OPAG requires a fee to cover insurance and equipment costs, but members work on a volunteer basis.
Major donors for the fireworks include Adena Health System, The Scioto Society, The Chillicothe-Ross Community Foundation, Herrnstein Auto Group, Homeland Credit Union, Petland, Horizon, Kenworth, Veterans of Foreign Affairs, Pathways Financial Credit Union, Litter Distributing, Kingston National Bank and Vinton County Bank.
Pre-Show Fun
The Chillicothe Police Department is hosting its first annual Chillicothe Cares Community Day on the 4th from noon to 6 p.m. at Bolmer Field in Yoctangee Park.
The free event will feature food trucks, face-painting, several bounce houses, local food vendors, fire trucks, balloon animals, an obstacle course and more. There will also be free hot dogs, water and chips.
Officer Tim Boltenhouse said the event "keeps growing bigger and bigger" with local businesses reaching out to get involved.
"It's just a way for the police department to give back to the community and bring solidarity," Boltenhouse said.
The Chillicothe City Pool will host its annual July 4th pool party at 7 p.m. Tickets are available through the parks and recreation department at 35 S Paint St. Call (740) 772-5626 for more information.
Tickets are $10 and children two years old and under get in free. Patrons will get a free hot dog, chips and drink and be able to swim from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The new trolley will be running on Monday from 3 to 9 p.m.
Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Rotary Club exceeds fundraising goal for Chillicothe firework show
