SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP – For 20 years, Springfield Township has held fundraising events all summer long. From car shows to fireworks, each year holds engaging activities in order to raise money for charities and get people invested in the township. This year appears to be no exception.
This year, festivities begin on June 27 at 9 a.m. with the Firecracker 5K, a run/walk activity for all ages. Following the run, Ignite the Night will include live music performances from bands like Arctic Clam and Not Fast Enüff. In between there will be the HEROhustle, an event where local celebrities dress up in dinosaur costumes to race for their chosen charities. The night is capped with a famous firework celebration.
Since the ’90s, the township has held Annual “Freedom Celebrations,” where the township has put on firework displays and other activities for residents. Eventually, the board of trustees in Springfield decided to try and lure in people who might have never heard of the area. Kristina White, Director of Event Operations, was tasked with bringing attention to Springfield Township through these events.
“We know that there are individuals that drive through and drive past some incredible amenities that exist in Springfield Township,” remarked White. “And the trustees said, ‘What can we do to get them to stop?’ So, I proposed to them a summerlong series of events that would get people into the [township].”
Through these events, White hopes that people who are driving through stop by in an area that can be sometimes overlooked. Bringing attention to these events also helps the township fundraise for numerous charities. Since the beginning of the tradition of summer events, the township has raised funds for charities, and this year alone, the township is donating to six primary charities. With this year celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation, the township is looking to give back to an often overlooked population of the community: veterans.
“As we were looking at Summer Series 2026, we also realized that it’s a celebration of the 250th anniversary,” noted Tommy Anderson Jr., a Springfield Township Trustee, referring to the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“So… it had to be those organizations that serve veterans in our community, that interact with the youth in our community, or can provide character building, or some type of activity that’s relevant, right in Springfield Township.”
A sense of community is the most important part of what makes these events matter to the trustees. Apart from summer events, the township also holds activities in other seasons, like a polar plunge during the winter months. A story that the trustees reminisced about involved an 82-year-old man who had wanted to come out to the event as a sort of bucket list item. The board suggested he should be around his community, and in response the man said, “If I come out, I’m getting in the water.”
Sponsors are often a marker for success in events like this, and for the township, it has become an obvious sign that the event has exploded in popularity. The trustees remarked that in the beginning, they had to ask for local businesses to sponsor the event, but now, they often have sponsors reaching out to them.
A sense of community is not something that appears out of thin air, and oftentimes it takes a monumental amount of effort in order to connect people. But in Springfield Township, it comes naturally to those who seek out connection in a community that gives back just as much as they celebrate.
Mark your calendars for the events in the summer series, which is sponsored in part by the Toledo Free Press, along with other sponsors.
