See 2024 National Night Out and Fireworks sponsors below
By Paula Pyzik Scott
For the first time in its ten year history, local National Night Out celebrations weren't protected by the so-called Bluffton Bubble, a mythical ability to keep storms at a distance. However, plans for food, fun and fireworks on Tuesday night were successfully moved to Wednesday, August 7 after heavy storms and tornado threats were forecast.
Event coordinator Lieutenant Matt Oglesbee of the Bluffton Police Dept. was happy with turnout for the delayed event and with weather that allowed fireworks to go on. Has the event gotten easier over time? Oglesbee said, indeed, it has. He also credited the Bluffton High School boys soccer and girls soccer teams with doing some of the literal heavy lifting: carrying the tables and chairs in and out of the Bluffton Community Pool.
Volunteers working the grill seemed to think that free hot dogs are the number one people-magnet at National Night Out. Council member Mitch Kingsley said that while they have run out of hot dogs a time or two, that’s only after some folks have been through the line three times.
However, lines for a ride on two antique fire trucks–the Bluffton No. 1 Studebaker fire truck and the Riley Twp-Pandora Dodge truck from a few decades later–rivaled lines for the hot dogs. The ride is made standing up and may have seemed faster than it actually was, due to the brisk wind in everyone’s hair.
Other attractions included free swimming, Touch a Truck with local EMS crews and the Bluffton Fire Department, mini golf, Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District interactive exhibit, inflatable games and fire hose target practice.
National Night Out Local Sponsors
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XtrSound DJ Service A-Z Meats ADS Pandora Basinger Law Offices Basinger Plumbing & Heating Ed Basinger Bassett Family Bluffton 1st United Methodist Church Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce Bluffton Council and Mayor Bluffton Community Church Bluffton High School Boys Soccer Bluffton High School Girls Soccer Bluffton Marathon Bluffton Pool Staff Bluffton Schools Bluffton University Football Bluffton University Radio 96.1 Bluffton Vet Hospital Boehr Family Bowden Family Cardinal Bus Circle K Coca-Cola Community Markets Crime Victim Services Curling Iron D&J Golf Carts Edwards Family Ebenezer Church |
Essinger Family Family Eyecare Folly Faces Fort Findlay FOP Gary's Repair GFS Johnny Appleseed Park District Jon Diller K&E HVAC Solutions Kiene Recreation Kindle Family KOl of Bluffton Matthew Jordan DDS McDonald's of Bluffton Northwest Ohio Recycling Ohio State Highway Patrol Pandora Flooring Pepsi Riley Creek Construction Rustic Cow Ice Cream St. Mary's Catholic Church Sam's Club Lima Schoenfeld/Stever Families Shirley's Popcorn Swartz Restoration Ted's Market The Pizzeria Village Cut N Curl Weekday Release Time Wendy's of Bluffton West Ohio Foodbank |
Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce Fireworks Sponsors
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Bluffton Paving Inc. The Bluffton Stone Co. GROB Systems CCR Realtors Bluffton University Springfield Fireworks Blanchard Valley Health System Padrone's Pizza Citizens National Bank Kira's Flipside Grill First National Bank of Pandora |
Lambert General Contracting Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio Sumiriko Ohio Spectrum Salon Edward Jones - Ryan DeMarco, Fin. Advisor Richard Boehr Webb Insurance Company Family Eye Care Clinic Family Hardware Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Services Ellerbrock Spine and Soft Tissue |
