Lorain County Independence Day Festivities- 2013

Independence Day is coming up fast and I'm sure many are trying to plan how to spend your holiday. Which leads to the ultimate question of what is going on in the area for you and your family to enjoy? Hopefully the following will give you some great ideas for family fun!

July 3rd

• The Avon Lake Fireworks will be at dusk at Weiss Field (33401 Webber Rd, Avon Lake, Ohio 44012)

• The Oberlin Fireworks will be at dusk at the Hamilton Recreation Complex (225 West Hamilton Road, Oberlin, Ohio 44074)

• In downtown Wellington there will be an ice cream social at 6 pm, a performance by The Patriots Community Band at 7 pm on the steps of the Town Hall, and fireworks at dusk at the Lorain County Fairgrounds. As a Wellington native, I recommend bringing a blanket and watching the fireworks from the top of the above ground reservoir. The fireworks reflection in the water really adds to the show!

• The Lorain Port Fest kicks of at 5 pm at the Black River Landing (421 Black River Lane, Lorain, Ohio 44052). Fireworks are at 10 pm. You can even go on a fireworks cruise! Tickets are $20. Click here for a full schedule of events.
  
  
  

• What better way to celebrate America's independence than by watching America's favorite past time? The Lake Erie Crushers are playing with a special pre/post game concert. More details here. 

• North Ridgeville will be having their annual Party in the Park. Family friendly activities will start at 7 pm and continue until the fireworks at dusk. 

July 4th

• The Grafton Fireworks will be at dusk in Willow Park off of Grafton Road

• Cedar Point will be lighting off fireworks at 10:30 pm in addition to the rest of their 4th of July celebration

• The Lake Erie Crushers will be playing another game (7:05 pm), which will end with a fantastic fireworks show. 

• The 94th Annual Rochester 4th of July celebration will be at the Eagle Street Park and Fire Station. This event has a ton of fun things going on, including a parade at 10:30 am and fireworks at dusk. Check out the complete schedule. 

• Wellington's celebration continues on Thursday with a parade at 3 pm and many other games and events throughout the day. 

Feel free to check out our calendar of events for more fun things happening in Lorain County. Have a wonderful holiday!

~Melody

P.S. If you know of any events in the county that aren't mentioned, please let us know in the comment section!

More Historical Adventures: Underground Railroad Part Two

I know you've all been on the edge of your seat waiting for my first hand account of the Lorain/Sheffield Village portion of the "On the Trail to Freedom"Underground Railroad tour! Never fear my friends,  the wait is over, and I'm back to tell you all about my afternoon checking out these historical sites.

Our first stop of the day was the Burrell Homestead. This house was built around 1820, and for a while it was actually used by the Oberlin Collegiate Institute. Later it became a station on the Underground Railroad.


                                                 I can only imagine how many lives were changed forever because of this house and others that became stops for people escaping to their freedom. If these walls could talk I'm sure we'd hear some truly shocking stories about the people that lived through such an ugly patch of history.


Not only is the Burrell Homestead hugely historically significant, it's on a beautiful property just a few minutes away from French Creek Reservation to balance your day of history with some general fun outdoors. Kaitlin and I certainly couldn't resist the trees in front of the house.

 I mean, how could we? They were just begging to be climbed! Would you expect anything different from a couple of interns spending the day outside?

After we thoroughly explored the area outside the house (we weren't able to go inside, but there are tours available for you to plan your visit around! Keep an eye on our calendar of events for the next one.) Next, we hit the road to make our way to our final stop, Station 100.

Being near a place as busy as Lake Erie, it's no surprise that even our commute was an adventure in itself. We were going down the road when all of a sudden traffic stopped just before the bridge. I knew the bridge was often lifted to let tall boats pass through, but I'd never actually seen it myself. It was really interesting! If you look to the left of the bridge, you can see the top of the sailboat that's heading for open water.

After the boat passed us, we were once again en route to the beautiful Station 100 monument at Black River Landing in Lorain. 

Station 100, — the last stop to freedom — is said to be the area near the mouth of the Black River and the shores of Lake Erie. This is where slaves would finally escape the United States into Canada.





After being at the monument for a little while, we caught a glimpse of something near by. Much to our excitement, we had stumbled upon one of the stops on the Follow the Fish Art and Adventure Trail! The goal of the project is to connect public art to local businesses and guide people to some of the really cool places and events in Lorain County. They come in a variety of sizes, and this one is huge! I could probably crawl up in it if I wanted to (though I'm not recommending that, it is a piece of art). Be sure to keep an eye out on your visit for the other fish!

Recognize that sail boat? I think it's the same one we saw pass under the bridge!

Kaitlin and I ended our day with a pit stop at K-Cream Korner on our way to Lakeview Beach. It was too nice of a day not to stop and small the roses, literally, at the rose garden. It was so tempting to go wade in that beautiful blue water, but we did have to get back to the office. I guess that's an experience for another day!

~Melody