It’s time for Home Days

The 2024 Home Days celebration on the Square in Brecksville will take place Friday, June 21, from 5-11 p.m.; Saturday, June 22, from 3-11 p.m., and Sunday, June 23, from 3 p.m. until the end of the fireworks show.

Typically the top question on everyone’s mind is, of course, when the annual Home Days fireworks display will take place. This year, the show is set for Sunday night, June 23, at 10 p.m.

In conjunction with the Home Days festival, there will be a disruption in the normal flow of traffic and the availability of parking on and near the Square.

“Long” Stadium Drive in front of the Brecksville United Methodist Church will be closed the entire week of June 17 for construction.

Traffic flow

Beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 20, “short” Stadium Drive in front of the Red Brick House will be closed to traffic. Each street will remain closed until the early morning hours of Monday, June 24.

Barriers will be erected at Rt. 82 and “short” Stadium Drive, Route 21 and “long” Stadium Drive and on Stadium Drive just east of the entrances to the lower Brecksville Medical Building parking lot and the entrance to the United Methodist Church parking lot on the west side of Old Town Hall. It will still be possible to access both the upper and lower parking lots of the Brecksville  Medical Building and locations on lower Stadium Drive including Chippewa Place by using Old Royalton Road from the west. Also, be aware that there is no pedestrian crossing of Rt. 82 between the United Church of Christ on the south side of Rt. 82 and the square on the north side of Rt. 82. Do not try to cross Rt. 82 at that location. Cross only at the intersection of Rt. 21 and Rt. 82. Traffic control during Home Days will be provided by the Brecksville Police Department.

In summary, there will be no parking on the west and north sides of Public Square during Home Days; it will not be possible for eastbound Stadium Drive traffic to turn right (south) at Old Town Hall to access Route 82; and it will not be possible to access westbound Stadium Drive by turning onto Stadium Drive from Route 21 at the United Methodist Church.

Entertainment lineup

“The Home Days Concert Series” will also return this year, featuring a different major concert with nonstop music each night from 8-10 p.m.

 Two new bands will be featured this year. Leading off on Friday night, June 21, is  Silver Springs, reliving all those great Fleetwood Mac tunes.

On Saturday night, June 22, another brand-new act will take to the Home Days stage with two straight hours of rock. The band is called Right Now: A Celebration of the Sammy Hagar Era of Van Halen.

On Sunday night at 8 p.m., guests will think they traveled back to the 1970s with the Styx tribute band, Best of Times. The band will play nonstop Styx hits like “Lady,” “Babe” and “Come Sail Away,” all the way until the fireworks blast off at 10 p.m.

And if you love to polka, you are in luck. The Wayne Tomsic band will play on Saturday from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 4-7 p.m.

Brecksville Little Theater also has entertainment planned. See them on Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the stage.

Rides, food and  more

Thrilling rides will be down Stadium Drive from Old Town Hall. Across the street from the rides on Saturday from 5-6 p.m., the MetroHealth helicopter will land and take off in the open field. Bring your camera to catch your kids with the pilots. The helicopter will not be there if there is inclement weather or if they are called to an emergency.

Also, while you’re down at the rides, make sure the youngsters visit the indoor “just for kids” area inside the horticulture building on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. There will be children’s games and bounce houses from 4-7 p.m.

It wouldn’t be Home Days without the food and this year’s lineup of food vendors is sure to please every palate. Get ready to dump the diet with a variety of different food vendors and food trucks each day. This year’s vendors include SipNLick, Southern Thangs Grub Truck, Twisted Grill n Grind, Brecksville’s Master Pizza, East Coast Custard, Brecksville’s King Tut Egyptian Street Food, Brecksville’s Kona Ice, Wrap It Up, Top Dawg, Funny Cake, Barrio Tacos (Saturday and Sunday) and Sticks.

The BBHHS Alumni Association is ready to “flip” for you. Call ‘em pancakes or flapjacks, they’ll be on the griddle with sausage on Saturday and Sunday morning from 8 a.m.-noon at the Horticulture Garage on Stadium Drive. That means pancakes rain or shine.

Saturday morning it’s the 5K and one-mile Family Fun Run and Walk presented, by the city’s recreation department and conducted by Hermes Sports and Events. Call the Community Center at 440-546-2300 for more information. ∞