After two weeks of delightful temperatures in the 70s, of course Mother Nature brought us temps near 100 degrees for the 84th Woodville Fourth of July Celebration. Fortunately, there were no reports of anyone melting into a puddle although it may have been touch-and-go for those working over grills and deep fryers in the food trucks.
Fireworks shot on festival’s first night
Despite the heat and the fact that the fireworks were on the first night of the Celebration rather than the last, people came from all over the area to enjoy the show. And thanks to the heat, the Woodville Buckeyes 4-H Club went through a record 74 gallons of ice cream making milkshakes for the fireworks crowd.
Although the forecast included the potential for storms over the three days of the celebration, rain was not a worry for fireworks night. Friday was a little different story. Checking the weather apps throughout the day, it looked like all would be good for the 5K Race. However, it wouldn’t really be the Woodville Fourth of July 5K if there was not at least a little weather drama involved.
A storm popped up on the radar less than half an hour before the Kids One Mile Fun Run was to start. The storm hit quickly, with lightning and winds sending signs scooting down the street and threatening to lift vendor tents and sending the crowd to seek shelter under larger tents and in a couple of buildings located in the park.
Despite rain delay, Kids run was held
On the plus side, the storm did drop the temperature about 15 degrees for the runners. After a 50-minute rain delay, the kids lined up and took off to run a shorter course than originally planned. After the last kid crossed the finish line, the 5K participants lined up and took off five minutes later. Even though it looked like another storm might hit before the race was over, it merely passed by a few miles out…