BYESVILLE − The annual Byesville Fireman’s Festival takes place Friday and Saturday in the village park.
The annual event kicks off Friday evening with a parade along Ohio 209 beginning at 6:45 p.m. The parade will showcase fire trucks and vehicles from area fire stations. The grand marshal will be Colleen Ryan, a bagpiper who will march and play in the parade.
This year there is a change in the schedule: the royalty presentation after the parade at 7 p.m. According to EMS Chief Jeremy Rice, this is to include all the royalty candidates in the parade and then hopefully lead the crowd into the park for the first night of the event.
The live music act for Friday night is Backbone, who takes the stage at 8 p.m. Tyler Reese Tritt is the headliner on Saturday and will perform from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. pm Tritt is the daughter of country legend Travis Tritt, who will perform in Guernsey County in July.
There will be numerous vendors selling crafts, baked goods and clothing, and many will be attending the fire festival for the first time. There will be three large bouncy castles for the children to enjoy. Visitors can purchase a $10 wristband for the bounce houses for one day or purchase a $15 two-day pass for unlimited jumping. A $20 two-day bounce house pass also includes hot dog, water and a ride in one of the fire trucks.
A Saturday morning car show always brings out classic cars and trucks from near and far, while the 5K brings out the athletes. The park offers bingo and other games, as well as a dunk tank to help beat the heat and raise money.
In recent years, a MedFlight helicopter has landed at the festival to give visitors a look at the flying emergency transport vehicle. Unfortunately, the helicopter will not appear this year due to fuel costs. Instead, Byesville firefighters will hold a car rescue demonstration at 1 p.m. to show off some of the ways they are trained to help the public.
Costumed characters march in the parade and are in the park Friday evening and Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bring the kids for a chance to meet and take photos with everyone’s favorite Australian Cattle dog, Bluey, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the Paw Patrol team.
The festival concludes with the Byesville Blast, a massive fireworks display starting at 10pm on Saturday. With an original budget of $6,000, the exhibition has always been a crowd pleaser. Chief Rice notes that thanks to community support and money from recent boat drives, they were able to increase the amount to $7,500 to ensure an even grander fireworks display.
Mooney picked up from the festival will go towards purchasing equipment for the station. Rice said the money will go toward purchasing a LUCAS device, which will help with automatic chest compressions, new equipment for firefighters and, if possible, new radios.
For more information about the festival or to inquire about becoming a vendor or sponsor, call 740-685-2222.
This article originally appeared in The Daily Jeffersonian: Fireman’s fest ends with Byesville Blast fireworks
