Talent show returns to the Gnaden Fireworks Festival

The talent show has returned to the Gnadenhutten Fireworks Festival for the 2024 event. The event was not held last year after new organizers took over for longtime festival organizer Hope Johnson.

It will be held July 5 at 6 p.m. Registration for the show will begin at 5:30 p.m. prior to the event near the performance area. Prizes will be awarded to the top two contestants in three categories: age 10 and under, age 11-18, and age 19 and up.

This year’s two-day festival July 5-6 contains something for everyone.

“We are going to have a lot of food trucks here, and we’ve got a lot of entertainment lined up,” said Chris Lewis, a member of the Gnaden Celebrations Committee. “We’ve got lots of performing artists and musical acts. So I think the majority of our day on Saturday is going to be filled with music and entertainment. It’s going to be a great time for everybody.”

The parade will be held Saturday and will kick off from Indian Valley High School at 4:30 p.m. The late Jeff Stocker of Gnadenhutten was selected to be honored during the parade. His family — wife Marilyn, son Jace and daughter Megan — will be in the parade in his memory.

The committee will auction mugs, instead of crocks, at 6 p.m. on Saturday to help raise funds to support the festival.

“We used to do mugs a long time ago. Then we switched to crocks for a little while,” Lewis said. “The mugs just seemed to be more popular. We got more response.”

In addition to the mugs, there also will be a commemorative plate.

The festival will be held on the square of Gnadenhutten.

“It’s safer for everybody to have it downtown. There’s more parking, and there’s more space for us to be able to spread out and expand,” Lewis said.

As the name implies, the Country Fantasy in the Sky fireworks are the center of the event. The fireworks are synced with music by WTUZ radio.

“I am always looking forward to our fireworks, I think that we have one of the best displays around. It’s really hard to beat what Jason Quillin and his group set off for us,” Lewis said.

The schedule for the 2024 festival is as follows:

—July 3: Queen’s Pageant at Indian Valley High School at 7 p.m.

—July 5: National anthem sang by Lily Johnson of IVHS and midway opens at 5 p.m., free caricatures by Sam Sutton on the square from 5-9 p.m., pet parade and announcements of queens and junior parade marshals and baby contest winners from 5-6 p.m., talent show at 6 p.m., Tomahawk Trot at 7 p.m., Music by Wes from 7:30-10:30 p.m., and midway closes at 10 p.m.

—July 6: Gnadenhutten Farmers Market and breakfast by Chrystal’s Freedom Bee from 8 a.m. to noon, Kustom Kemps car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., three-on-three basketball tournament at 10 a.m., midway opens at noon, Little Miss and Little Mr. Red, White & Blue contest from noon to 1 p.m., bingo at the firehouse from noon to 10 p.m., cornhole tournament at 1 p.m., Melody & Motion School of Performing Arts dance performance from 1-2 p.m., music by Renn Mars of Tuscarawas from 2-2:30 p.m., music by Emmy Rae of Gnadenhutten from 2:30-3 p.m., music by Trevor Cooke from 3-4 p.m., parade lineup begins at IVHS at 3:30 p.m., parade begins at 4:30 p.m., mug auction and raffle drawings at 6 p.m., music by System Rewind Band from 7-10 p.m., Country Fantasy in the Sky fireworks at 10 p.m., and midway closes at 10 p.m.

Sponsors for the event include Hardcore Converter & Recycling, Stocker Concrete, Tusky VFW 7943, Commercial & Savings Bank, Gnadenhutten Marathon, Lee Brown & Cory Carlisle Tax Service, Tony Mart, Bliss Veterinary Services, Everett Grain Farms, Koch Funeral Home, Ultimate Hair Design, Ember Complete Care, Amici’s Pizza, Cronebaugh Auction Services, Pasquinelli Tax & Accounting Services, Ron’s Heating & Cooling, First National Bank, R. Miller Farm, Freeport Press, Aggregate & Concrete Testing Services, R.K. Lindsey Funeral Home, Bloom’s Printing, Ward & Emler Surveying, Romig Finnicum Insurance, W.E. Quicksall & Associates, McDonald’s, Kimble, Jim’s Towing Service, Village Hardware, Twin City Chiropractic, and Belknap’s Body Shop.

In addition to Lewis, the members of the Gnaden Celebrations Committee are Kim Stull, Tom Friel, Cheryl Foote, Debbie Rehard, Corey Rehard, Trudy Lewis, Michala Sprowl, Don Hockenberry and Tabitha Johnson.

Visit www.gnadencelebrations.org.