City of Xenia welcomes return of "Kevin Sonnycalb Memorial Fireworks Festival" to Shawnee Park

The City of Xenia is excited to welcome Xenia Rotary Club's annual "Kevin Sonnycalb Memorial Fireworks Festival" back to the city's iconic Shawnee Park on Friday, July 2, 2021. The fireworks festival is being held alongside the City's Red, White & Blue Block Party in downtown Xenia, which runs from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. and will feature a cornhole tournament, disc golf, sand art sculptures, Jeep show, sports tutorials by Athletes In Action, children's programming by the Xenia YMCA, a live broadcast from WCSU radio, food trucks, and other entertainment.

The fireworks, produced by Rozzi's Inc., and presented by the Xenia Rotary Club, will begin at 10 p.m. and will showcase nearly 30 minutes of uninterrupted pyrotechnics. Ahead of the fireworks display, visitors to the festival at Shawnee Park will have a variety of activities available to them including food trucks, bouncy houses, live music featuring the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight, and a special children's "Disney Pixar Bicycle Parade." The bicycle parade will begin downtown in front of the Greene County Courthouse and will continue to Shawnee Pavilion where bikes will be judged and awarded prizes for best presentation.

This will be the seventh (7th) year the City of Xenia has hosted the fireworks show. While the festival could not take place in 2020, thanks to partnerships between the Xenia Rotary Club, Sonnycalb family, City of Xenia, Xenia YMCA, Strausburg Nursery, and several other local businesses, the fireworks show went on. City Manager Brent Merriman said he is pleased for the full festival to return to its home at Shawnee Park. "The fireworks festival is one of Xenia's most beloved traditions, drawing in thousands of visitors to our community," Merriman said. "We are thrilled for the full festival to return to Shawnee Park and for Xenia to again host one of the best fireworks shows in the region."

The annual fireworks show and festival is named in honor of Xenia Rotarian Kevin Sonnycalb, who embodied Rotary's motto of 'Service Above Self.' Following Kevin's passing, the Sonnycalb family, through their foundation, worked with Xenia Rotary to bring the annual fireworks back to Xenia in 2015. "Kevin was an inspiration to many in our community and, through the Sonnycalb Family Foundation, he will continue to inspire us for many years to come," said Xenia Rotary President Matthew Bennett.

It has been Xenia Rotarians' mission for the past 100 years to help improve the community and the Kevin Sonnycalb Memorial Fireworks Festival represents the essence of that mission. "So much goes into putting on a community event like this," said Bennett, "the tremendous support from the City of Xenia as our host - and from dozens of sponsors, headed by our gold sponsors, The John & Betty Meyer Foundation, Bob Evans Farms, Kettering Health, and WBZI "Real Roots" Radio - allows us to put on a truly great day for our community."

For more information about the City of Xenia visit: www.explorexenia.com
For more information about the "Kevin Sonnycalb Memorial Fireworks"
visit: www.facebook.com/SonnycalbFireworks
Learn more about the Red, White & Blue Block Party by clicking here