By Amy Hillard and Alicia Kelso

The City of Upper Arlington is ready for the spotlight with two of its biggest events of the year – the 4th of July Parade and the Labor Day Arts Festival.

4th of July Celebration
The 2009 theme for this year’s 4th of July Celebration, organized by the Upper Arlington Civic Association, is “UA… There’s No Place Like Home.” The theme was chosen because of its simple message – reflecting the strong sense of community UA exemplifies.

“I was driving one afternoon brainstorming theme ideas and just thought of this one. The committee (which is made up of eight members) agreed that it was a great theme, so we went with it,” says Melissa Fleming, co-chair for this year’s parade along with husband Mike.

The day-long event starts with the longstanding UA tradition “Wake Up Calls,” symbolizing Paul Revere’s historic ride. At 7 a.m. July 4, a team of volunteers spreads throughout the city to announce the beginning of the celebration. This ritual began in 1932.

Afterwards, the parade steps off at 9 a.m. from Kingsdale Shopping Center, displaying floats representing neighborhoods, churches, service organizations and everything in between (no politics or business promotion). Float-building began in April.

This year’s parade grand marshal is UA native and restaurateur Cameron Mitchell.

“We felt he and his family really symbolized the theme because he has done so much for the community and for Columbus,” Fleming says.

The parade heads down a star-painted Northwest Boulevard toward Northam Park for the subsequent “Party in the Park.” The stars-on-Northwest tradition dates back to 1976 when 500 red, white and blue stars were discovered painted on the street the morning of July 4. No one claimed credit for the artwork.

However, the following year, UACA members were caught in the act painting the stars by moonlight. The tradition has been upheld every year since.

The Party in the Park includes dinner and live entertainment, plus an opportunity to arrive early for a prime seat for the fireworks display, which starts at dusk.

The entertainment headliner this year is The Conspiracy Band (www.theconspiracyband.com), which has performed throughout Ohio for more than a decade. The band has covered everyone from Frank Sinatra to Earth, Wind and Fire to Bonnie Raitt.

In case of inclement weather (more than just rain), the parade will be cancelled. Additionally, the fireworks will be cancelled in the event of moderate rain, high winds or lightning.

For more information, visit www.uaca.org.

Labor Day Arts Festival
Produced by the UA Cultural Arts Division, the 43rd annual Labor Day Arts Festival is the premiere one-day arts festival in Ohio, held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 7 at Northam Park. The festival draws an average of 20,000 people, and organizers are expecting it to grow even more this year.

“More people are staying close to home and not traveling too much,” says Lauren Emond, arts coordinator for the Cultural Arts Division.

The event showcases blind-juried art from nearly 200 local, regional and national artists, representing every medium including ceramics, glass, oil paint, photography, sculpture and more. All art is available for purchase.

Each year features a new theme and a new grass mural, which is scaled down and showcased in the UA Cultural Arts Division’s Concourse Gallery (in the Municipal Services Building) prior to the event.

“Last year’s larger-than-life-sized mural was by an artist from the Ohio Latino show. This year, our piece will be from the exhibit going on at the Ohio Art League,” Emond says. “Art League members will help out and other volunteers will come out and spray paint the grass, making it a collaborative project within the city.”

The festival also includes entertainment, food and refreshments. An Art Activities Area for kids and adults features face painting, temporary tattoos, storytelling, music and more. The area includes “make and take” projects, and families can also work on a piece of art that will be donated to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

“This is an opportunity for families to come out to a festival close to home and in their neighborhood. It draws all types of crowds and a lot of people can walk or bike and use our green bike valet,” Emond says. “Most importantly, families don’t need to dedicate the whole weekend to something. They can enjoy and capture everything in one afternoon.”

For more information, call the Cultural Arts Division at 614-583-5310 or visit www.ua-ohio.net.

Amy Hillard is a contributing writer for Upper Arlington Magazine. Alicia Kelso is editor of Upper Arlington Magazine.