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By Paula Pyzik Scott

The best laid plans are subject to weather and whimsy. Bluffton’s 4th of July celebrations dodged both.

Following an evening of torrential rain, July 4, 2026 in Bluffton, Ohio began sunny and warm and stayed that way. Blue skies smiled on the individuals and organizations who provided entertainment for residents and visitors to Bluffton, including a broad range of historical displays, music and the first 4th of July parade in decades.

With 72.2 million Americans estimated to be traveling on the holiday, according to AAA, how many would choose to visit or stay in Bluffton? Bluffton’s American 250 organizers had to wait and see.

Saturday mornings in Bluffton are always a busy time. Lines stretched out at the Bluffton Farmers Market as shoppers came for peaches and other seasonal fare.

1776 AT THE SHANNON THEATRE
Moviegoers enjoyed the cool of the Shannon Theatre for a free, 10:00 a.m. showing of the musical film 1776. The 1972 film is based on a 1969 Broadway musical of the same name; See the 1776 Wikipedia entry for information on the cast and historical accuracy.

HISTORY AT CHERRY AND MAIN
On the lawn and in the gazebo of Bluffton Presbyterian Church, three history displays enticed visitors and a fourth beckoned from the curb nearby:

Robert Glenn (pastor at English Lutheran Church) and his daughter Zoe set up a Revolutionary War-style tent at the corner of Cherry and Main, displaying the many handmade and vintage pieces he uses to set up camp as a member of the Ohio Flintlock Buckskin Rendezvous Association. 

19th-century surveyors Captain James Riley and Henry Wing (Darrell Groman and Keith Sommer) shared stories, books and equipment that shine a light on the naming and establishment of local landmarks, towns, townships and counties.

Bluffton’s chief of police, Ryan Burkholder, set up a 145-lb Army tent as a MASH unit display with his uniforms from service in the Marines, including in Afghanistan. The display inside the tent included a vintage military desk and cot.

The cell that held gangster John Dillinger in the Allen County Jail in 1933 was on display on a trailer on Main St. and was later an entry in the 4:00 p.m. parade, courtesy of the Bluffton Ohio Historical Society. Visitors were invited to step inside the cell gate to see items from the old and now-demolished Allen County Jail.

PARADE
A festive parade was sent down Main St. by parade wrangler Junior Weihrach. Downtown Bluffton was full of onlookers, who smartly congregated under the ample shade of trees in the Presbyterian Church yard and the canopies in front of most Main St. shops.

The parade’s grand marshal was retired Realtor, community organizer and Bluffton Lion Dick Boehr, who rode in a vintage, red and white Chevy Bel Air. The emcee was Wendy Chappell-Dick.

MUSIC BEFORE AND AFTER
In the early afternoon, Chappell-Dick and John Jantzen performed in front of Bluffton Presbyterian Church. With a sound system that reached all the shady spots where listeners took shelter, the duo performed some of the 50 Americana songs they have learned for a series of concerts.

At 6:00 p.m., a standing-room-only choral concert was held inside the blessedly cool Bluffton Presbyterian Church. Listeners and singers included individuals who were seen throughout the long, hot day. The choir was led by Dan Basinger, who provided information on the history and creation of the songs on the program.

MORE AMERICA 250 EVENTS IN JULY

• July 8 at 6:00 p.m., Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence at the 1899 Depot, 405 N. Spring St.
• July 19 from 1-:5:00 p.m. Down on the Farm, Little Riley Creek Farm, 9255 Lugabill Rd.