PERRYSBURG – O’er the ramparts of Fort Meigs Battlefield, crowds will watch a patriotic fireworks display
this Friday as part of the 29th annual River Cities Gala.
The event, coordinated by the cities of Perrysburg and Maumee, begins at 4 p.m. and lasts until midnight.
Fireworks will be launched as darkness falls from the Perrysburg-Maumee Bridge, which will be closed
from 8 p.m. until after the display is complete and the road has been cleaned. The public is invited to
view the display, which will be fired by Pennsylvania-based company Pyrotecnico, at Fort Meigs State
Memorial Park, 29100 W. River Road.
The fireworks display was purchased jointly by the cities for a total of $27,000.
At 8 p.m., the Perrysburg Art Council will present a free concert by Swingmania at the little battery
inside the fort. Immediately preceding the concert, American Legion Post 28 will present colors during a
flag ceremony and Perrysburg High School graduates Grady Long and Jessica Jambor will lead a performance
of the national anthem.
Family programming, coordinated by Prevention Partners, will be available throughout the event,
including: booths for the Antique Car Club and for St. Luke’s Hospital; face and hair painting, family
carnival rides and games for teens; as well as a variety of concession vendors.
Fort Meigs Center for Health/YMCA is also sponsoring the event.
Throughout the event, the northbound lane of Fort Meigs Road will be closed to all traffic except
emergency vehicles between Eckel Junction Road and West Indiana Avenue. The closure will begin at 9 p.m.
and will continue until most event traffic has left the area. Southbound traffic on Fort Meigs Road will
be maintained throughout the event.
Motorists should plan on using alternate river crossings on Interstate 475 and Interstate 75 until after
the Maumee-Perrysburg Bridge re-opens later that night. All westbound traffic on West Front Street will
be forced to travel south on Ohio 25, and northbound traffic on Route 25 will be directed east on West
Front Street.
The Perrysburg Police Division recommends that guests make arrangements to arrive prior to 9 p.m. and
that they plan on leaving the area after 11 p.m. to avoid congestion.