Enon Fourth of July parade canceled, fireworks will go off

The Village of Enon’s Fourth of July parade has been canceled, but the fireworks show is still on.

“We have to figure out a way to make some of these things work - if we can do them safely,” Village of Enon Mayor Tim Howard said.

The Mad River Township Fire and EMS is in charge of coordinating the parade. They decided to cancel the parade and the luncheon that follows due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mad River Township Fire Chief Tim Wendling said.

“With all of us trying to safeguard our health in this uncertainty of COVID-19. We feel the safety of the community is of top priority right now,” Wendling said.

He added that they were worried that the coronavirus could potentially spread along the parade route with the large crowds.

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“We would like to thank all of our participants, sponsors and the families that continue to carry on this tradition that truly makes Enon an amazing place to live,” Wendling said.

The Independence Day events have been a staple in the village for many years.

Howard said he remembers helping with Enon’s Fourth of July festivities in the early 80s, but he does not know when the parade and fireworks began.

Even though the parade is canceled, the fireworks show remains on the schedule.

The fireworks show, coordinated by the Enon VFW 8437, will begin at dusk on Friday, July 3.

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“The fireworks are going off,” Amy Branham, the canteen manager and president of the auxiliary at the Enon VFW said. “That’s really all we know.”

Branham explained that they are still working on a plan to ensure social distancing during the event. She said they will probably have food trucks and a raffle at the VFW, located at 5075 Enon-Xenia Road.

“Typically what happens with the fireworks is people will park along Enon-Xenia and Stine Road and they kind of watch from their cars,” Howard said. “In my opinion, that was a determining factor in should we go ahead and put them on.”

The Village of Enon donated $2,500 towards the purchase of the fireworks, Howard explained. He said that Enon’s council unanimously approved the donation because “it’s a really nice community event.”

“I think if people practice the distancing and use some common sense, it will go just fine,” Howard said.

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