PLAIN CITY, Ohio — On Friday ahead of the Fourth of July, it’s quiet along Main Street in Plain City. But there’s a buzz in the air – over a pop, bang, and boom if you will.
Across the country Independence Day is celebrated with fireworks. This year, that’s not happening in this village.
Inside a nail salon on Main Street, it’s what customers and the nail techs are talking about.
“Fourth of July is super big out here,” said Mikaela Joseph, a nail tech at Main Street Nails. “At first we were super bummed and we were like, ‘what the heck is happening?’”
Still -- Mikaela Joseph is making sure customers’ nails are looking festive.
“We understand it’s not the city’s fault so can’t really be mad about that,” she said.
“Emotions are running high,” said Jody Carney, mayor of Plain City.
She said earlier this week she got a phone call from the vendor that was “like a punch to the gut.”
She said the vendor canceled last minute. The reason: not enough staff to pull it off. That’s when village employees got on the phones and started calling other vendors and contacts in Ohio and across the region. They had no luck. Carney said one company they called had 60 similar phone calls for help in one day from other cities and towns out of state.
It’s an event they’ve been planning since last year – a record year for turnout. And staff challenges are something she’s seen across her village.
“All of our businesses are feeling the stress and the struggle,” she said.
And now the Fourth of July celebration is no exception.
“When you look around the central Ohio we feel pretty isolated that we are the only ones canceled. Why is it why did they choose Plain City?” she asked.
She shared a heads up for those who are now considering buying and lighting off their own.
“We wanted clarification to make sure our ordinance is still in effect because we always thought the Ohio Revised Code would come first but Union County Prosecutor gave us the ruling that residents cannot set off their own fireworks in the village of Plain City.”
The parade on Monday will still happen, this year at an earlier time of 10 a.m.