FAIRBORN — Independence Day celebrations are underway across the Miami Valley despite the July heat.
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“It gets really hot. So really hard to have any type of air conditioning or anything like that. You just have to drink a lot of water, stay hydrated, get your fans, and make it as best you can,” Matt Lowrie, co-owner of Wholly Smokes BBQ, said.
This is not Wholly Smokes’ first rodeo working in the summer heat and around even hotter equipment.
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“We do these shows every year. So great, great time. Luckily, it’s not raining today, but it’s hot,” Lowrie said.
Workers season, smoke, and pull the barbecue on site.
On a day as hot as the Fourth of July, the smoker can easily reach above 200 degrees inside and around it.
“So smokers set up all the wood-fired, no gas, no anything like that, just wood, just fire. Definitely gets hot. So keep the air circulating, Liquid IV ... that sorta thing,” Lowrie said.
While this crew prepares for Fairborn’s celebration, Wholly Smokes has another food truck in Xenia doing the same in hot conditions.
For the past six years, the Fourth of July has been their busiest holiday.
“Probably a few hundred at least will service today, probably 3, 4,000 people,” Lowrie said.
More tips on how to stay cool can be found here.
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