The nation’s semiquincentennial is here, and with it, a milestone even closer to home: Upper Arlington’s 100th Fourth of July celebration.
From the morning’s beloved parade to the evening’s Party in the Park and classic fireworks show, many early traditions of “The Best Day in UA” live on and continue to become even better than ever.
Upper Arlington Historical Society
Rich history
Upper Arlington Historical Society Executive Director Kristin Greenberg shares that prior to UA’s first Fourth of July celebration in 1923, the holiday was prominent for travel among UA residents, particularly with the increased access to cars. From 1923 on, the day became part of a community initiative for neighbors and friends to celebrate a “Stay at Home Fourth” – a theme that continued for many years.
In 1926, the nation commemorated a triple holiday – a Sunday, Fourth of July and the nation’s 150th birthday – though Greenberg shares UA did not celebrate that year or the next three years, likely due to holiday traveling and dissipated planning.
However, 1930 saw the return and revival of the festivities, as population increases over intermittent years garnered heightened anticipation for the event, with many wanting to experience it for the first time.
The Best Day of UA has remained a community staple ever since, with this year’s milestone a testament to its long history alongside the national holiday.
A banner of traditions
Early Independence Day celebrations mirrored a larger community tradition, Field Day, which brought together residents of Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff to celebrate in June. From approximately 1916 through the mid-1920s, Field Day was described as the “Big Day of the Year,” and it became a signature patriotic event with neighborhood floats in the grand parade alongside contests and late-night street dances.
UA’s Fourth of July took on many of these traditions as well. In its first year, a newspaper clip archived by the Historical Society shared that a flag-raising ceremony began that day at sunrise, followed by a wake-up call from a cannon salute at 6:08 a.m.
At 4 p.m., the Fife and Drum corps of the Old Guard led residents to Miller Park, where a performance by the Fort Hayes band, a grand march and a national flag ceremony occurred. A crowd of 1,500 then watched as an hour-long fireworks show closed out the night, with a display including giant skyrockets, aerial bombs, firecrackers and sparklers. Afternoon pageants were also noted as a potential co-occurring event throughout the 1920s, with pony shows, athletic contests and stunts.
While some aspects have faded away, many elements of the first celebrations remain, even as the Fourth of July has adapted to the growing community.
Early morning wake-up calls, once cannon salutes, are now conducted by volunteers as they drive around with bullhorns.
The grand march, now the Fourth of July Parade, became a morning staple that neighborhoods spend weeks preparing for with elaborate float displays to compete for the title of Best Neighborhood Float and other awards. The fireworks finale then provides a grandiose spectacle – commemorating all the celebratory efforts, and the community coming together and reuniting on the holiday.
“The Parade and the entire day of celebration will always be a placeholder event for community members, drawing residents who have moved away home to celebrate with their families,” shares Emma Speight, community affairs director for the City of Upper Arlington.
City of Upper Arlington, Upper Arlington Historical Society
This year’s lineup
With the convergence of America’s 250th year of independence and the 100th community celebration of the Fourth of July, honoring tradition remains at the forefront of the event.
City of Upper Arlington
After a year of planning alongside the July 4th Committee – and four years on the planning committee leading up to it – UACA July 4th General Chairpersons Cara and Jeremy Logsdon share that they have been awaiting the honor to commemorate the milestone by choosing this year’s theme: Ohio’s Greatest Hits.
“We were heavily influenced by the (America250-Ohio Commission) wanting to celebrate the contributions that Ohio has made to the United States in the past 250 years. So, we just started thinking about, ‘What has come from Ohio? What can we celebrate that Ohio has contributed?’” Cara says. “We really can't wait to see what the neighborhoods and the floats come up with on who or what they want to celebrate… It's really a highlight for us to see how they take that theme and run with it, and what the parade will end up looking like.”
Starting with the ride-along wake-up call at 6:30 a.m., the parade setup starts before the Spirit of ’76 begins its march down Northwest Boulevard, followed by ornate neighborhood floats celebrating the state’s influential creations, figures and more.
At 5 p.m., attendees will gather at Northam Park as Party in the Park commences. Several food truck options will be available, including Cousins Maine Lobster and Schmidt’s. The event also features performances from returning Yachtopia and The Conspiracy Band throughout the night, alongside the presentation of the Float Awards at 7:15 p.m.
The National Anthem precedes the 10 p.m. drone light show, coming back for its second year alongside the fireworks. Accompanying the show will be a playlist featuring a surprise roster of Ohio bands to commemorate Ohio’s contributions to the nation’s legacy.
Jane Dimel is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
