In Wapakoneta, the St. Joseph Parish is ready to welcome the community for their annual Fourth of July festival.
There is something for everyone during the 72nd year of the event. Games and entertainment for the kids. Raffles and drinks for the adults, and food and fireworks for all to enjoy. They will be giving away 72 dollars every hour the festival is running, and they will have the Ohio MIA POW wall on display.
The festival has become more than a fundraiser over the past seven decades. It's become an annual tradition for people to meet up in Wapakoneta over the 4th of July holiday.
"Every year we get a lot of folks to come out, maybe lived in Wapakoneta, Allen County, Auglaize County area, or maybe went to school in this area and came back, it's like a homecoming, they get to come back get to see a lot of friends that they knew, family that they grew up around and it's kind of a reunion of sorts. We get a kick out of that of people coming back and just enjoying the day," said Tom Vehorn, St. Joe Festival committee.
The event will kick off on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Auglaize County Fairgrounds with food, games, with the live music starting at 7 p.m. Then on the fourth, registration for the Firecracker 5K at 7:30 a.m. in the morning, the festival opens at 11 a.m. and will end with the fireworks show which is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. Monday night.
