

FAIRBORN — The City of Fairborn has scheduled two days of events to mark the nation’s annual 4th of July celebration throughout the community.
The traditional popular Block Party will take place on 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 3 on Main Street where a variety of vendors will be selling food and specialty items along with a number of inflatable amusement items as well as games and participation attractions geared for both children and adults.
The Fairborn American Legion Dignam-Whitmore Post 526 will conduct opening ceremonies at 4 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial located at the intersection of Main Street and Central Avenue. The Fairborn Civic Band will follow with a 45-minute performance featuring patriotic tunes. Nashville recording star David Wayne will entertain from 5-6 p.m., followed by the Rock it 88 Band from 6:20-7:20 p.m., then the Wild Mustangs Band will take the stage from 7:40-8:40 p.m. with the evening being closed out by Rind with a 9-10 p.m. performance.
Children ages 6-9 are invited to compete in Wednesday’s Little Miss and Mr. Fairborn contest with registration taking place 5:15-6 p.m. at the Actors Theater, 22 E. Main St. The entry fee is $5 with the contest beginning sharply at 6:15 p.m.
To celebrate Fairborn’s independence and history, a “Heritage Days” event will take place at the Mercer-Smith historic log home on the corner of First and Middle Streets. Free wagon rides can be taken from the corner of Main Street.and Wright Avenue to the site where tours of the log home and gardens will be available.
The 72nd Annual Fourth of July Parade sponsored by the Fairborn Rotary Club will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4 after assembling in the Fairborn Plaza on Broad Street. From there the parade will follow its traditional route up Central Avenue past the reviewing stand and then down Main Street to Second Street where the event will conclude.
Jeff Schmitt will be honored in memoriam as the grand marshal. A flyover by the Greene County’s Aero Club will signal the begining of the parade (weather permitting). The National Anthem will be played by the Fairborn Civic Band at the reviewing stand. The parade is noted as one of the oldest and largest in the Miami Valley.
The festivities continue beginning at 5:30 p.m. July 4 at Community Park, 691 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, with food, amusement items and entertainment followed by the largest fireworks display in the events history at 10 p.m. The band Hey There Morgan will tip off the evening’s music from 5:30-7 p.m.with the Full Frontal Band — the featured headliner — from 7:30-10 p.m.

