MOUNT VERNON — A small but enthusiastic crowd of revelers gathered early Friday evening at Memorial Park to get Independence Day festivities up and running, well before fireworks would light up the sky. Although the event is normally held downtown, it was moved to the park due to the holiday, resulting in a rather modest turnout.
There were enough people to keep some activities very busy. Rex Naylor had a continuous line of children wanting balloon animals, and the park’s swings were all occupied by playing youngsters.
There were attractions for grown-ups, too.
Jim Gibson of the Knox County Historical Society Museum had the institution’s portable display at the park.
“We had a lot of people come through when we first opened up,” Gibson said, adding that at one point there was a waiting line stretching out the door.
The museum has had the trailer, full of displays about Knox County history, since 2004, when it was bought from the Auglaize County Historical Society. Gibson said the trailer was completely stripped and rewired with the help of students from the Knox County Career Center. By the time he finished that brief history of the trailer, it had filled back up with visitors.
Dan “Sed” Peters, who gets his nickname from friends who josh him about getting quoted in the newspaper, was running an oxygen bar with his wife, Teresa.
“Elevated oxygen recharges your brain and wakes you up,” said Peters.
The attraction also featured aromatherapy scents, which he said boost mental stimulation.
Sophia Oster was having a fun time overseeing her petting zoo, new this year to First Friday events. She said it’s a lot of work to care for so many animals, but that she loved it.
“The llamas and the sheep are really hard to catch,” Oster said.
Her older sister, Gabriella, used to spin the wool from the llamas.
“I don’t spin anymore,” Gabriella said. “It’s too hard to spin it on a drop spindle.”
The Loudonville oldies rock group Nifty was the featured musical guest for a couple of hours, playing tight renditions of favorites from the 1950s and ’60s, including a crisp version of the Chuck Berry rocker “Johnny B. Goode.” John Fitch of Loudonville sang lead vocals and played guitar, while bassist Skipp James, also from Loudonville, supported him on vocals.
Drummer Bill Miller, who lives between Butler and Loudonville, was recently heard in Mount Vernon as the banjoist in Uncle Dan’s Backstage Band during the Mount Vernon Players’ production of Mike Petee’s play “With Pen in Hand.”