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By MICHAEL P. GARRITY Current Correspondent LAKEVIEW – The Fourth of July holiday marks the height of the summer season for the Indian Lake area, and as in past years – there is a large slate of events planned by the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce designed for family fun during The Beach Spectacular and Fireworks event to be held on Saturday. Indian Lake State Park’s Old Field Beach is the focal point of the holiday activities with a car show kicking off the day’s events when registration opens at 10 a.m. for the show. According to Pam Miller, executive director of the Indian Lake Chamber, the show is open to not only cars, but also just about every type of wheeled-motor vehicle. “In past years we have had not only cars and trucks, but motorcycles as well,” said Miller. All types of cars and motorcycles are welcomed at the show with vehicles appealing to all ages, ranging from classic and historical cars like Ford Model A’s and T’s, hotrod roadsters, 60s- and 70s-era American muscle cars and modern customized import models that are a favorite of today’s generation. The show runs a good part of the day. The next official series of events are beauty pageants for children of all ages up to young adults. At around 11:30 a.m., the “Beach Baby Contest” is scheduled to begin for babies from age 0 to 2. The babies should be dressed in patriotic clothes and one adult is allowed on stage with the baby and a second adult in front of the stage to help get the babies to give a big smile. Around 12:30 p.m., there will be a second beauty contest for girls ages 2 through 5. The winner will be crowned “Miss Firecracker.” Once again, children participating in this event must be dressed in patriotic-themed clothing. From 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., there will be even more beauty contests, beginning with the “Little Miss Indian Lake Contest” for young ladies, aged 6 to 8. Next in the contest lineup is the “Junior Miss Indian Lake Contest” for girls aged 9 to 12 beginning at 1:30 p.m., and the pageants culminate with the “Miss Indian Lake Contest” for young women age 13 to 18. With all of these events, the participants begin their respective contest dressed in patriotic attire and move to formal wear. RV Wholesalers of Lakeview is providing two recreational vehicles for use as dressing rooms for contest participants. At 2 p.m. for those in the audience who wish to compete in a contest of another kind, sign up for the Cornhole Contest for all ages and test your skills at getting the corn bags in the center hole. Registration for the event begins at 11 a.m. and closes just before the scheduled start time for the event. At 3:30 p.m., lake area residents who have become finalists in The Indian Lake’s Got Talent contest, get to show off their stuff onstage for cash prizes. Since early in the year, residents have performed at “Talent” preliminary events held at area bars and clubs and now will vie for the title of “Best Indian Lake Talent.” Participants in the contest will compete in age classes. Those contestants age 12-18 have a chance to win $100 for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for the show position. Adult competitors have a chance to win $300 for first place, $175 for second, $100 for third, and $50 for finishing in fourth place. With the completion of the competition, Bellefontaine radio station WPKO-FM takes over the entertainment with live remote broadcasts taking place from the beach and station DJs taking requests from those both at home and in the Old Field audience. WPKO also continues its tradition of broadcasting a simulcast soundtrack to the day’s premier event – the annual fireworks display. “If you plan to watch the fireworks from the beach, you had better find your spot pretty early,’ said Miller. “We estimate that anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 people come out to watch the fireworks either at the beach area itself, from spots all around the lake and from the many boats that come out on the lake. We have one of the largest and we think, the best fireworks display in the state of Ohio,” she added. The fireworks are scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Zambelli Fireworks of New Castle, Pa. returns for another year to provide the great “SkyFire” show they put on. Miller also advises that if you and your family watch the fireworks show from the beach, also expect to sit there a while after the fireworks are over. “It can take quite a while to clear out all the people from the area,” she said. Miller added that while some area companies provide some funding to support the fireworks display, she said the bulk of the money needed to put them on comes from the public. “It takes about $26,000 to put on the display, and thus far we have raised less than half that amount,” she said. Donation boxes can be found at stores and restaurants all around the lake or people can stop into the chamber offices located in the Aries Building on State Route 366 just east of the spillway during business hours to make a contribution. “We take donations from the public right up to the time the fireworks are shot off, and we even continue to take donations after the fact and every little bit that people contribute is welcome and needed,” said Miller. If your tastes for entertainment run along different lines, there will be a new event taking place this year at the Fisher’s Special Event Center located on the grounds of the Fisher Flea Market at the intersection of County Road 87 and State Route 235. The facility hosting this event is just across State Route 235 from Old Field Beach State Park. The Fitness Center of Lakeview is hosting and sponsoring the ACC Absolute Cage Combat Event with doors opening for at 6 p.m. and the fights beginning at 7:30 p.m. with an intermission taking place during the duration of the fireworks display. The event will be a regional cage-fighting event and will draw fans and participants of that sport from all over the state and elsewhere. For more information on this event, ticket prices and purchasing of tickets, visit their site on the web at www.absolutecagecombat.org. Along with the official events taking place at the Old Field Beach, many families will be gathering at places all around the lake to celebrate our nation’s birthday to do things like having cookouts, playing cornhole games and throwing horseshoes; heading out on the lake and many other activities, proving that Indian Lake is a great place for families to enjoy their leisure time and to celebrate one of our nation’s great holidays. For more information regarding the list of Indian Lake Chamber July 4 holiday events, event registrations or to make a contribution for the fireworks, visit the Chamber’s Web site at www.indianlakechamber.org. or contact them by phone at 937-843-5392. There will be no rain date for the fireworks.
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