Undaunted, crowds brave rain for Red, White & Boom festivities, fireworks

Lily Carey, The Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·3 min read

While Independence Day is a holiday known for sunshine and outdoor celebrations, forecasted thunderstorms kept many Columbus residents inside Monday morning.

Yet the weather couldn’t keep Morrow County resident Mitch Walker from going over 12 hours in advance to set up his viewing spot for the Red, White & Boom fireworks in Downtown Columbus.

“It feels weird when I’m not here, to be honest,” said Walker, a military veteran who has attended the festival for more than 30 years.

Stephanie Harvey, 28, of Hillitop, at right, stands with her daughters, Mary Henry, 4, Leah Henry, 9, Savannah Harvey, 11 months old, and mother-in-law Vickie Bruce, 53, while waiting out the rain under a tree with their umbrellas for Monday's Red, White & Boom festivities in Downtown Columbus.
Stephanie Harvey, 28, of Hillitop, at right, stands with her daughters, Mary Henry, 4, Leah Henry, 9, Savannah Harvey, 11 months old, and mother-in-law Vickie Bruce, 53, while waiting out the rain under a tree with their umbrellas for Monday's Red, White & Boom festivities in Downtown Columbus.

Walker was one of hundreds who braved the rain Monday morning to stake out the best viewing spot for the evening’s fireworks show — the largest of its kind in Ohio. Red, White & Boom, which has been held in Columbus for more than 40 years, draws crowds year after year for the parade, all-day festival, food vendors and nighttime fireworks.

Spectators are allowed to begin setting up their viewing spot as early as the evening of June 30, according to the festival’s website. Early Monday morning, the banks of the Scioto River were already crisscrossed with caution tape and lined with pop-up tents and lawn chairs.

For many, the early setup has become a longstanding tradition. And while the rain resulted in a lower turnout, those who did show up were wholly unfazed.

“We’ve got tarps, tents, we’re good,” said Samantha Fletcher Healey, who traveled to the festival from Tennessee with her family. “We had a tornado warning one year, and we still came, just stayed in our tent.”

Kirsten Keplar, 45, of Grove City, and Bradley Hart, 33, of Newark, set up picnic umbrellas with prime firework-viewing locations along the Scioto Mile in Downtown Columbus Monday as rain falls prior to Red, White & Boom.
Kirsten Keplar, 45, of Grove City, and Bradley Hart, 33, of Newark, set up picnic umbrellas with prime firework-viewing locations along the Scioto Mile in Downtown Columbus Monday as rain falls prior to Red, White & Boom.

Healey said she’s been coming to the parade for over 25 years, often arriving around 6 a.m.

The biggest draw? “The fireworks,” she said. “It’s bigger and bigger every year.”

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For others, Red, White & Boom has become a family tradition.

“When I was a little girl, my mom used to bring me,” said Kirsten Ketler, an attendee from Grove City who has also been coming for more than 30 years. “We would sit right up there,” she said, gesturing to a spot just behind her tent on Marconi Boulevard.

“This is like our family reunion,” said Kim Starr, who’s been coming to Red, White & Boom almost every year “from the beginning.” Starr said she always arrives the night before to claim a spot along the Scioto River, roping off an area for her six children and 12 grandchildren who often come from out of town for the parade.

Marilyn Clap, 71, of Howard, Ohio, sits under a picnic umbrella as her granddaughters, Brooke Manning, 14, left, and Teagan Bowermaster, 12, spray red and blue dye stripes in her hair as rain falls in Downtown Columbus prior to Monday's Red, White & Boom activities.
Marilyn Clap, 71, of Howard, Ohio, sits under a picnic umbrella as her granddaughters, Brooke Manning, 14, left, and Teagan Bowermaster, 12, spray red and blue dye stripes in her hair as rain falls in Downtown Columbus prior to Monday's Red, White & Boom activities.

Many spectators will sit in the same spots along the river year after year, building a sense of camaraderie and establishing traditions with their neighbors. Walker said in past years, he’s seen people hold trash can races, dances and more.

“I’ve made friends because of Red White & Boom that, if it hadn’t been for Red White & Boom, I would never have met,” Walker said. “I’ve been to their weddings, their Christmas parties.”

Above all, a uniting force for many devoted spectators was their passion for supporting the military.

“I was in the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) in high school, so I have a really big respect for our military,” said Abby Silvia, a resident of Columbus’ West Side who was setting up with her family. “That’s what I like to enjoy about the Fourth, is our soldiers who are fighting, and those who have passed away while fighting.”

Al Stockard, of Northland, orders lunch Monday as rain falls Downtown prior to the Red, White & Boom fireworks.
Al Stockard, of Northland, orders lunch Monday as rain falls Downtown prior to the Red, White & Boom fireworks.

With the street festival in full swing Monday afternoon, Red, White & Boom officials were continuing to monitor the rain. While the fireworks were slated to start at 10 p.m., the festival’s website said in the case of inclement weather, “every effort will be made” to set them off by midnight.

Yet for many attendees, their love for the holiday and the festival is what drives them to brave the rain.

“God, home and country — that’s what it’s all about,” Starr said.

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lcarey@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Red, White & Boom brings crowds to Columbus despite rain