COLUMBUS, Ohio — Everyone is excited for the 41st annual Red, White & BOOM! in downtown Columbus.
Vendors were eager to get set up in the rain on Monday morning.
Giuseppe’s has been setting up at the event in the same space for 17 years.
They started getting ready for the event about a week ago, from ordering extra food to filling up propane tanks.
“The atmosphere alone is amazing here. Even if we didn’t make any money we would still set up,” said Chris Leadbeater, owner of Giuseppe’s.
Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, a German eatery that typically serves up bratwursts and cream puffs, was also excited to set up for the event.
“We just like celebrating with the community. That’s one of our core values. Just celebrating with the city of Columbus. We’ve been around for 140 years, and we have been doing festivals since the 1910s,” said Drew Karram, special events manager at Schmidt’s.
But the food vendors were not the only people excited for the event.
On Monday morning, people were staking out their space in the grass with caution tape.
Newark resident Bradley Hart has been attending the event since he was 15 years old. Now, he has made it a tradition with his young family. Hart was setting up his space with drinks, sandwiches and a speaker to get ready for the big event.
“It’s just amazing. It’s the biggest firework show in the Midwest with thousands of people. It’s the excitement, it’s the adrenaline, you can’t even put into words how awesome it is,” said Hart.
Debbie Mangia has been coming to the firework show for 41 years. She staked out her spot on Sunday afternoon, and sat there all day on Monday.
“Its great fireworks. It’s fun people watching, the food is great. It’s just a fun day,”