AKRON, Ohio — Akron’s All-American Burger & BBQ Festival has officially kicked off in the city’s Lock 3.
“Thank God for my big sister who wanted to come out,” said festivalgoer Tracey Sibley. “We just walked around to see what the set-up is around here.”
But before you go, there are some new guidelines Akron leaders are introducing to keep everyone safe.
On the Fourth of July, guests under the age of 18 must come with an adult who is 21 years of age or older.
In a statement to News 5, Akron spokesperson Stephanie Marsh said a group of unsupervised kids were involved in some minor fights last Fourth of July, so she said the restrictions on supervision are meant to maintain the event’s family-friendly atmosphere.
Meantime, the city is also banning bicycles, e-bikes and scooters within the event zone between Bowery Street and Exchange Street on the Fourth of July to prevent injuries since she said large crowds are expected.
If people don’t follow these rules, Marsh said Akron Police can ask you to leave the festival area.
But local vendors like Nate Ferryman, a manager at Pigfoot BBQ & Rib Company, are hopeful people will do as they’re told to keep the event fun and safe.
“You never know what you’re going to run into but knowing that you have authority figures or safety figures around you that you can trust and rely on is really nice to know,” said Ferryman. “Every year we come here, the people are great, especially Fourth of July. We just know Akron as Fourth of July.”
As officers handle security, Ross Talbert said he’ll be busy checking out more than a dozen local vendors and enjoying good food all weekend long.
“This is cool because it really starts off like the whole summer, I feel. Especially July Fourth, 250th year anniversary of the United States. So, I thought that was kind of cool. Nothing more American than mac-n-cheese and barbecue,” said Talbert.
The free festival will continue Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with tons of live music, a kids' zone area from 5 to 9 p.m. and a fireworks show on the Fourth of July at 9:45 p.m. at Lock 3.
“Look forward to this all year, so this is fun as heck for me right now,” said Talbert.
