CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Hazardous air quality driven by wildfire smoke, combined with a forecast of rain, forced the city of Circleville to cancel its free Summer Movie Series screening at Ted Lewis Park on Friday night.
The city had planned to show the Disney film “Out of My Mind” starting at dark, around 9 p.m., with the event gates opening at 8 p.m. Circleville officials said in a Facebook post that the screening was “officially cancelled” and urged residents to limit strenuous outdoor activity and check on family, friends and neighbors, particularly those with respiratory or heart conditions.
The cancellation came as the Ohio EPA issued a statewide Air Quality Advisory, saying elevated pollution readings tied to wildfire smoke had pushed conditions to “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” to “Unhealthy” across most of the state, with some hourly readings reaching “Very Unhealthy” or “Hazardous” levels. The agency advised Ohioans to avoid outdoor burning, limit use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, and keep windows closed overnight, running central air with a MERV-13 or higher filter where possible. Residents can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov, according to the Ohio EPA.
The Circleville screening had already been pushed back once this month; a July date was rescheduled to Friday because of earlier weather concerns, according to city officials. It marked the second consecutive setback for the free family event.
Friday’s screening was part of the city’s Summer Movie Series at Ted Lewis Park, a free program that runs monthly through the summer, with a movie shown after dark following an 8 p.m. gathering time. The series is supported by community sponsors including the Pickaway County Chamber of Commerce, Uptown Circleville, OhioHealth and local businesses.
Ted Lewis Park, at 443 N. Court St., is named for vaudeville entertainer and Circleville native Ted Lewis, born Theodore Leopold Friedman in 1890. Known for his clarinet playing, trademark battered top hat and cane, and his catchphrase “Is everybody happy?,” Lewis became one of the most popular bandleaders of the 1920s jazz era, employing musicians who went on to fame in their own right, including Benny Goodman and Jimmy Dorsey. Lewis, who died in 1971, chose to have his career memorabilia return to Circleville rather than go to major institutions that sought it, and his widow, Adah, established the Ted Lewis Museum in his hometown in 1977. He is buried at Forest Cemetery in Circleville.
The city said its next Movie in the Park event is scheduled for Aug. 15, when it plans to screen “Jumanji.”
The information contained in this story was obtained from the city of Circleville and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
