CRIDERSVILLE, Ohio (WLIO) — Extreme heat forced Otterbein Cridersville to move its Independence Day celebration indoors, but it did little to dampen the patriotic spirit of residents, families and friends.
Dozens gathered in the community room to enjoy a performance by the Otterbein Honor Singers, with many attendees dressed in red, white and blue to celebrate the nation's birthday. Otterbein administrators said events like the annual celebration provide an opportunity to bring residents, their families and the community together.
"It's important for everybody to get that community to celebrate, to get to have that. I mean, we have families in there for our otter singer group. So all of our otter singers have their family here watching them. We have the community. We also have everybody at Otterbein. So we probably got 80 people jammed into the community room right now. It would be better outside, but it was too hot," said Desiree Barnes, director of life enrichment at Otterbein Cridersville.
During the performance, the Otterbein Honor Singers paid tribute to each branch of the U.S. military. Veterans and spouses of veterans stood as their respective service songs were performed, honoring both their service and the memories of loved ones.
