Schedule of Events
It’s that time again: Worthington Hills July 4th Celebration! The dates and times for the Worthington Hills July 4th Celebration have been set, and all are welcome!
- Friday, June 30: Stars + Stripes Softball Games at Worthington Hills Elementary School. “Littles” game (9 & under) at 5:00pm; “Tweens” (10 & up) at 6:00pm; and the adult game starts at 7:00pm. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and bottled water will be available while supplies last.
- Saturday, July 1: Firecracker Trot 5k at Worthington Hills Elementary School. Race starts at 8:30am; on-site check-in begins at 7:15am. Early registration in advance or register on-site the morning of the event. Registration cost is $25 per participant. Adults, kids, strollers, runners, and walkers are welcome.
- Sunday, July 2: Family Fun Fest at Worthington Hills Elementary School from 3:00pm-6:00pm. Tickets for the carnival games are only $6. Tickets for carnival games and SuperGames are $12. Raffle tickets will also be sold. Cash and credit card payment accepted. Presale tickets available until June 29. It’s not too late to volunteer or bake cookies!
- Tuesday, July 4: Parade starts at noon!
Fun Fest Presale (available until June 29)
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Road Closure Information
- Traffic on Clubview, from Highview to Hickory Ridge, will be ONE WAY only, heading westbound, from 9 am until after the parade. This is to ensure a safer drop off experience for parade participants.
- Parade participants line up on Blind Brook. Blind Brook will be one way only, headed east bound, and will be accessible *only* to parade participants.
- Starting around 9 am, all traffic into the neighborhood from Highview will be required to turn right onto Clubview.
- ALL traffic into and within Wo Hills ends at 11 am. (NO vehicles, including golf carts, are permitted along the parade route, after 11 am, til the parade ends.) ALSO at 11, barriers will be placed at all entrances to the neighborhood. Make sure you and your guests are at their parade watching location no later than 11. And alert your guests that anyone IN the neighborhood at 11 will be unable to leave until the parade is over.
This year’s parade route is available here: https://www.perrytwp.org/DocumentCenter/View/3025/2023-WH-Parade-Routepdf
Message Regarding Parade Safety
Again this year, the planning committee for our Worthington Hills July 4th Parade has been working
closely with Perry Township Police to do all we can to ensure a SAFE + FUN July 4th experience for our
community. Last year, Perry Township Police monitored our July 4th Parade via aerial drones, as a safety
precaution. That footage confirmed a serious parade safety concern. With the help of Wo Hills residents
like you, who reside along the parade route, we believe it’s a concern we can address, together, in 2023.
The Child Safety Concern
In front of virtually every home along the parade route where children were
present, drone footage found that multiple children, of all ages, ran directly into or dangerously close
to the parade route. In most cases, the children are attempting to pick up candy, attempting to say
hello, wave to or high-five a friend in the parade. In most cases, children lined up in front of the curb,
while parents congregated further back in yards. We need your help in addressing this issue, because:
- Most vehicles in the parade are trucks, Jeeps or SUVs – making it a challenge for even the most cautious drivers to see, and have the flexibility to stop for, children who run into the parade traffic.
- Many vehicles are towing flatbeds or trailers – it is impossible for drivers to see children who are running into the path of the flatbeds and trailers that are behind them.
- When parents or adults are not directly monitoring children, they have limited ability to ensure children remain on the curb or in yards and out of the parade route.
How YOU Can Help
- Parent awareness is key! When inviting guests to your July 4th Parade viewing event, please directly make them aware of this potential child safety danger, IN ADVANCE, and encourage them to remind their children of the critical importance that they behind the curb throughout the entirety of the parade.
- Parent supervision during the parade is also essential! Please strongly encourage parents and adult guests to watch the parade in very close proximity to their children, so they can spot potential parade traffic dangers and remind children to remain out of the flow of traffic. In our experience, excited children along the parade route don’t always adhere to the requests of parade participants who encourage them to keep out of the street – parent vigilance and intervention is essential.
What We’re Doing to Help
- We’re reaching out to parade route residents like you to ask for assistance in reminding July 4th guests of the above safety precautions.
- We’ll be posting important safety reminders on the Worthington Hills July 4th Facebook page, and via email to Perry Township residents and Worthington Hills Civic Association members.
- While our parade registration form has for years required parade participants to personally hand out candy, vs “throwing it,” we will have personal conversation with the lead contact of every parade participant this year to ensure they understand the child safety dangers caused by throwing candy. We’ll ask them to appoint members of their groups to hand candy out, so it’s not thrown.
- Parade marshals will remind parade participants of this important rule, during the parade.
- The July 4th Parade leadership committee is grateful to all of our “parade route families” who so generously host parade viewing parties on July 4. We know it’s your generosity that allows so many neighborhood residents to enjoy the parade! We also know that you share our deep concern for the safety of neighborhood children, and for the children of guests to your home – and we are so grateful to you for your partnership in helping us ensure a fun and SAFE July 4th Parade for everyone.
Sincerely,
- Jenn + Chad Secrest (2023 Parade Chairmen)
- Tara + Chris Schumacher (2023 Parade Marshals)
- Kelly + Michael Brahler (2023 Assistant Parade Marshals)
Check out our Facebook feed for more!
🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️And we’ll close out our July 4 Thank You’s by thanking ALL of our Wo Hills veterans…those who participated in the parade, and those who enjoyed it along the parade route with their families. We recognize that we owe our ability to celebrate Independence Day to you! We were especially touched by this thoughtful message we received from Lt. Col. Ed Tipshus, USMC, whose participation in our parade is always such a sincere honor to us, and to our community. (He is also a Fan Favorite, who neighbors look forward to saluting every year!) To Lt. Col. Tipshsus and all of our vets (including Liz and Pete Nestinger who faithfully care for our vets at parade time every year!): We dedicate our July 4 Parade to YOU and your service! 🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️
Just a few more thank you’s!![]()
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🇺🇸Mike and Kelly Brahler, our Assistant Parade Marshals, who handled all of our sponsorships this year, and will be lead Parade Marshals next year!![]()
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🇺🇸Alyssa Zoellner, our new Historian + Photographer (who also helps with social media as a bonus!) and took time away from her sweet family to photograph all FOUR of our events!![]()
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🇺🇸Colleen and Matt Dotson for serving as T-shirt Chairs, hand delivering our t-shirts to all our sponsors and volunteers!![]()
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🇺🇸Julie Pugh and her kids, Annabelle and Evan, who took great care of our VIPs on parade day!
We have a few more thank you’s for tomorrow, as pictures still come in! But the last for today: Thank you to Perry Police and Worthington Fire for their collaboration and support on keeping us all safe during our July 4th events; to Jen and Brian Hortz for recruiting and organizing all of our marshals to help parade day run smoother and be safer; to Perry Township Trustee Chet Chaney for being the absolute best partner we could ask for, to Wo Hills Civic Association President, Matt Shade, for all of his and the WHCA’s support of all 4 events, helping us get communications out to neighbors, choosing each year’s President’s Award winner, and so much more!
Next up! Thank you to Genna & Kevin Carey and Tony & Steph Troiano for chairing decorations - judges and awards stands; Maggie Schaffer & Ashley Landers for chairing refreshments (making sure our events and parade were well hydrated!); and Jenny Banks & Ali Segna for doing a fantastic job in their first year as golf cart chairs, making sure all of the golf carts we rent for Committee chairs, past Chairmen and VIPs get where they need to be, when they need to be there!