‘Biggest Fourth of July yet:’ Austintown celebration coming to new location
Austintown is counting down the days until this year’s fireworks celebration, co-hosted by Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
The board of trustees and Greenwood Chevrolet donated $18,000 for the celebration, organized by the nonprofit Austintown Generational Enrichment Corporation.
Usually, the celebration takes place at Austintown Plaza, but the eleventh annual Austintown Township Fireworks Celebration is happening June 30 at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Austintown.
“We are excited to host Austintown’s premier Fourth of July Celebration, a community that opened its arms to us 10 years ago and continues to be a place we are proud to call home,” said Robert Swedinovich, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Gaming.
Trustees Monica Devers, Robert Santos and Bruce Shepas held a press conference yesterday and released the official lineup of entertainment.
“We are proud to once again support the community’s pinnacle event and are appreciative of the collaboration between the teams at AGE, Hollywood and many others who support this celebration,” the trustees said in a joint statement.
Gates open at noon for a day full of meet-and-greets and live music before the fireworks, which are expected to start at 10 p.m.
Autographs and pictures at the celebrity athletes meet-and-greets are free.
AGE vice president Jim Davis spearheads the event and expects it to the be “the biggest Fourth of July celebration yet.”
“We have a jam packed event calendar pushing the start time to noon to accommodate an amazing entertainment schedule. I encourage everyone to follow our Austintown Fireworks Celebration Facebook page for all of the latest details and updates,” Davis said.
The $18,000 donation comes from the Westchester Fund, started by Walt and Rhea Terlecky.
Funds are generated from the rental of the Westchester building and the Terlecky family’s stipulate the money must be used for community events and parks and recreation.