How heat wave affected central Ohio Juneteenth celebrations

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — This heat wave is not stopping central Ohio communities from celebrating the Juneteenth holiday, but it is prompting organizers to be hyper-aware and take more precautions.

One of the organizers of New Albany’s Juneteenth celebration is also a doctor. Dr. Nwando Olayiwola said it’s important to be aware of your body. “Community connects us, heat will not stop us,” Olayiwola said.

She said they are very prepared for the heat and that she had been thinking about the meaning of this holiday and said it is interesting that the heat wave is hitting now.

“There were no air conditioners back in the original Juneteenth, I think we’re blessed and fortunate to be here, but we are taking all the precautions possible to make sure people can have a fun time and a healthy time,” Olayiwola said.

She said they have water stations all around, a misting tent, and a designated cooling room. She said they have plans in place for emergencies including having medics on site and other doctors and nurses like herself.

“We’ve got people kind of mobilized around the entire amphitheater that will be ready to kind of spring into action. We have a room that we’ve dedicated as an emergency call in and we will remove that person from the heat. We will get them to a place where it’s cool,” Olayiwola said.

The City of Hilliard celebrated the holiday with plans in place on Wednesday morning. Special events coordinator Kristan Turner said they had coolers filled with water by the stage and around the event. They also handed out a cool snack to the kids.

“There was a lot of planning. We made sure that our vendors knew our plan as something would happen, call EMS and where we could go. We have emergency kits on site if needed. And we also had popsicles to give out to all the attendees,” Turner said.

Olayiwola said the heat is just another reason to look out for yourself and others.

“You’ve also got to take care of yourself. And so the combination of staying healthy and having fun is what we’re really all about today,” Olayiwola said. “It’s a really incredible coming together of our community in New Albany. We believe that community connects us. And so we have people from all parts of the city, from all parts of the region, all walks of life, all ages, all races and ethnicities coming together to really celebrate this important moment in our history.”

Olayiwola said that during hot days, it’s best to take breaks from the heat every 15 to 20 minutes.