WAPAKONETA, OH (WLIO) - Around 400 people gathered in Wapakoneta to try the best beers and wines Ohio has to offer. 

With Friday being the first Friday of July, the Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce hosted their First Friday gathering in Downtown Wapak. On Friday from 5 PM to 9 PM, there was live music performed by the Blue Collar Band, extended business hours for shops and restaurants, art exhibits, food trucks, and activities for kids.

Down Auglaize St. is a celebration that feels out of this world. Every year, Wapakoneta likes to pay tribute to their hometown hero Neil Armstrong with the Summer Moon Festival. After seeing over 20,000 people here for the 50th-anniversary festival, and a small crowd for last year's scaled-down events, everyone is ready for celebrations to be back to normal.

The Wapak Antique and Specialty Shops has invited the community out to eat, shop, explore, and now drink in the many downtown businesses that are gearing up for the holidays. Landa Tomlinson, the president of Wapakoneta Antique and Specialty Shops, and the co-owner of Casa Chic says, “With all of this going on, and as people bring in these beautiful items that we have all over downtown, it just really puts you in the mood and everybody is ready to get out this year.”

People got the chance to try out the new specialized celebratory drink on the first night of Summer Moon Festival. The night began with a toast using Moeller Brew Barn's First on the Moon Pale Ale. It was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. In addition to the toast, there was live music and other entertainment for people to choose from. The Wapakoneta Chamber of Commerce has been putting on this event for more than 20 years and this year is extra special to them.

It was a night full of excitement and performances as seven young women took the stage in hopes of winning the Miss Summer Moon Scholarship Pageant. Throughout the night the seven contestants played music, recited speeches, and performed various other acts. Once all judges voted, Emma Nolte was officially crowned the new Miss Summer Moon. The organizer of the event says this pageant is important because it allows the youth to shine.