Today is May 16, 2024.

• Good morning! We’re in for a nice one today: A high of 76 degrees with intervals of clouds and sunshine, although we could get a couple showers in the afternoon. Our low tonight will be 59. Then we’re in for a wet weekend: showers and a thunderstorm Friday, showers Saturday and a possibility of showers again Sunday. But the heat is coming, with a high of 83 forecast for Tuesday. Our transition to summer is well underway.
  

• Summit Metro Parks’ 21st annual spring “Spree For All” started May 1 and runs through Sunday, June 30. If you complete five hikes in the Spree’s designated time frame — on five different trails, the same trail or any combination of trails — you will receive a reward: First-year hikers earn a neck lanyard and commemorative pin, while returning hikers earn the commemorative pin. Hikes are free for all participants. Non-Summit County residents pay to receive their rewards ($10 for first-year hikers, $5 for returning hikers). For more information and to sign up for the Spree, visit this page. Note: Munroe Falls Metro Park has two trails on this year’s spring Spree For All list: Meadow Loop Trail (1088 North Ave. in Tallmadge) and Firefly Trail (521 S. River Rd. in Munroe Falls).
  

• If you just subscribed or missed something in an earlier newsletter, don’t fret: Subscribers have access to every edition of The Spotlight at www.stowmunroefalls.com. Check out back issues to catch up on everything that’s going on in our communities — you never know what you might have missed!

⭐ Several stories in this issue are only available to premium subscribers: Memorial Day plans, school board vacancy, tennis courts, Munroe Falls road work and more local news. Full access is $2.99/month.

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Stow

Celebrating America’s 248th birthday: City’s Fourth of July Parade will feature SMF Library as its grand marshal

The City of Stow’s 66th annual Fourth of July Parade will take place Thursday, July 4, stepping off at 10 a.m. from the Target plaza parking lot at 4330 Kent Rd. The parade will proceed west down Kent Road and end at Park Drive just west of Holy Family Church, located at 3179 Kent Rd.

This year’s parade theme is “A Century of Stories: Honoring our Past, Inspiring Our Future.” The grand marshal is the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, which is celebrating its 100th year in 2024.

If you plan on attending the parade, keep in mind that there will be no parking on either side of the following roads:

• Englewood Drive from Kent Road to Park Drive; Park Drive to Lakeview Boulevard; and Lakeview Boulevard to Graham Road.

• Charring Cross Drive from Kent Road to Graham Road.

The following roads will be closed for the parade:

• Kent Road from Marsh Road to Englewood Drive from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m., and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Darrow Road from Graham Road to Pinehurst Road in Munroe Falls from 7:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For more information, including registration for parade entries and rules & procedures, go to this page.

#CelebrateStow events calendar

The Fourth of July Parade is just one of many #CelebrateStow events the city has planned from June 28 to July 6. Here’s a rundown of the full schedule:

• June 28-30: Stow Paddle Battle Pickleball Tournament.

• June 28-July 4: Chalk Up Stow.

• July 1: Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Bookmobile Story Time, 6-7 p.m.

• July 4: 4th of July Pancake Breakfast, 7-10 a.m.

• July 4: Firecracker Run, 7:30 a.m.

• July 4: Fourth of July Parade, 10 a.m.

• July 5: Concert on the Green: Sudden Change, 6-8 p.m.

• July 6: Patriotic Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• July 6: Stow Community Center Grand Opening Celebration, 1-4 p.m.

Be sure to check future editions of The Spotlight for all the details on these fun events!

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