Despite two-thirds of the festival being mired in rain, visitors still flocked to Main Street for the annual Heritage of Flight Festival held this past weekend.
Attendance for Friday night’s car show was still notable despite the cold drizzle, and the crowd favorite Parade of Planes still went down without a hitch on Saturday morning
Sunday was obviously the best-attended day of the festivities, as the rain went away and the much-needed sunshine smiled on the festival.
Perhaps one of the most touching events of the festival was the first-annual Blessing of the Badges ceremony, created by local firefighter/Chaplain Jerry Meddock.
Nearly 75 first responders and their families from across Ohio and even Indiana attended the ceremony, proceeding down Main Street to the main stage, where Meddock prayed for a safe year for his fellow first responders, saying their line of work does not always guarantee that they’ll get to go home at the end of the work day.
The Honor Guard from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office performed a 21-Gun Salute in honor of all the first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty, as the ceremony also corresponded with the national remembrance of fallen firefighters. A tolling of the bell ceremony was performed, Taps was played, and a bagpiper piped out an emotional rendition of Amazing Grace.
Meddock anointed his fellow first responders’ badges with oil, praying for a safe year in the line of duty, before shifting gears and having some fun with his comrades and letting loose through a flash mob rendition of the popular “Whip Nae Nae” song. Meddock, who is also known as “The Dancin Fire Chaplain,” led the mob in a laughter-inducing dance in the intersection of Main and Jefferson, stressing that it was important for first responders to be able to have fun together, since their work often forced them into serious situations.
Meddock thanked the festival committee for agreeing to the ceremony, saying it was an honor to stand in front of so many of his comrades and their families, noting that families serve a crucial role in the support of their first responder loved one.
At the end of the ceremony, Care Flight made a perfectly-timed flyover up and down Main Street, catching many spectators off-guard at first, but then eliciting a flurry of delightful shrieks as it made its final pass.
Unlike many festivals, visitors were permitted to bring their furry friends to the Heritage of Flight Festival, bringing out their dogs on leashes and in strollers for the festivities, and a well-behaved pig was even seen leading its owners through the crowds.
Festival President Mike Lowrey said his crew did an amazing job putting the festival on, lamenting the weather but saying he was pleasantly surprised with the turnout, especially for the car show on Friday.
