MOUNT FOREST – Things will be booming up in north Wellington County this summer as an annual festival will be back with a bang.
The Mount Forest Fireworks Festival will get to go ahead with its 20th anniversary after a two-year break.
Festival chair Sharon Wenger said in an interview this kind of event has to be in-person and they were on pause for the past two years. She said it feels good to get the go ahead this year.
“We’ve all just kind of been waiting for that moment when we could say, okay go,” Wenger said.
“We’ve been really excited that we get to actually relaunch these plans, get them off the ground and we’re actually going to be able to see them happen.”
As is tradition with the festival, it’s always the third weekend in July with this year’s from July 14 to 17.
While fireworks are front and centre in the festival, Wegner said it is much more than that with multiple days of events leading up to and during the fireworks festival including a ribfest, retro roller skating, demolition derby, midway, food, drinks and entertainment among other things.
“We’re doing a teaser fireworks display on the Friday night this year in celebration of our 20th anniversary,” Wegner said. “Saturday is our usual jam packed downtown car show and then all of the stuff at the festival grounds with the big firework show on Saturday night.”
There’s lots of time to go still and details are being firmed up along the way.
The festival is looking for volunteers, with Wegner figuring it takes about 300 to make it run.
Those willing to offer a hand can reach out via the festival social media pages or through a new website. Wegner said the festival is also looking for sponsors and encouraged new businesses who haven’t in the past to reach out to the local chamber of commerce.
“We’re just trying to line up all of our sponsors and get our entertainment lined up and get some volunteers booked so that we can make this happen,” Wegner said.
