Loveland’s Independence Day Celebration is shaping up to be one of the best in Loveland’s history. To celebrate our hometown and residents, the City has chosen the theme “Small Town Big Heart.”

The celebration will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4, in Nisbet Park with a Kids Zone, featuring comedian/magician Matthew David Stanley, inflatables, face painting, a photo booth, and other activities. The City will also be holding its first Fourth of July cornhole tournament to raise money for those effected by the downtown fire.

At 7:00 p.m. the annual Fourth of July parade will kick off from Loveland Elementary School, 600 Loveland-Madeira Road, and travel down W. Loveland Avenue to Second Street. Be sure to bring the kids out to see the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile that will be making a special appearance in the parade. We encourage children to decorate their bicycles, wagons, and strollers for the parade’s patriotic kids contest. If your child enjoys dressing up like a super hero, we would love for them to put their costumes on and participate in the parade; adults are welcome to join in the fun too. Pet owners are encouraged to dress their pets in patriotic costumes and walk in the parade. Parade organizers are always looking for floats, marching bands, music groups, dance/drill/cheer groups, and classic and custom cars to make the parade more enjoyable.

A new feature in the parade this year is wet zones courtesy of the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department. Wet zones will be at the intersections of Wall Street and W. Loveland Avenue and Riverside Drive and W. Loveland Avenue. If you sit in these intersections, plan to get wet.

The party really gets started after the parade in Downtown Loveland. The Michael Christopher Band, an up and coming rock/country singer from Nashville, will take the stage in Nisbet Park. DJ Dustbunny will be playing in front of City Hall. Vendors will be in Jackson Street Market.

Be sure to patronize our local restaurants and businesses. You can also find Adena’s Beefstroll at Cappy’s Craft Wine and Spirits, Quite Frankly at Cindy’s Friendly Tavern, Fire on High at City Hall, and the Loveland Dairy Whip, Sweet Maize Kettle Corn, and Ozzie’s Eats at Nisbet Park.

The City has designated an open container district for July 4 from noon to 11 p.m. You can purchase alcohol at local establishments or bring your own cooler. Please, no glass bottles.

Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks will be lighting up the sky for the big finale at 10 p.m. Be sure to bring the family downtown to make memories this Fourth of July in our very own Small Town with a Big Heart.

For more information about Loveland’s 2017 Independence Day Celebration, to register for the parade, or register for the cornhole tournament go to www.lovelandoh.gov/independence-daycelebration.