Those heading out to Apollo’s annual Moon Landing Celebration this week shouldn’t expect to see the festival’s usual Friday-night liftoff. For the first time in the event’s 38-year history, there will be no fireworks. The Moon Landing Celebration, which kicked off Tuesday night, coincides with another event — a Little League championship tournament being held at Owens Field. As the fireworks are normally fired from that spot, celebration committee members agreed that trying to coordinate a concurrent pyrotechnics display and baseball tournament would spark a battery of issues, including safety, parking and congestion. The Friday-night Zambelli Fireworks show, a Moon Landing mainstay, will be back next year. “The fire department is supporting our youth and will forego the fireworks,” said Bill Kerr, a committee member. “Apollo Area Lions Little League and the Apollo Moon Landing Celebration committee have been working cooperatively to make it a special week.” The Little League tournament involves 11- and 12-year-old baseball players from the local Little League district, as well as from Mercer and Lawrence counties and Pittsburgh. Two playoff games take place Thursday through Saturday, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., and the winners will face off for the section title Sunday. Kerr admits that the fireworks display, “one of the area’s biggest,” is one of the festival’s main draws. But he still can reel off a list of other reasons area families won’t want to miss the event. “It’s a weeklong celebration that brings together the community for some wholesome entertainment,” he said. As in previous years, Swank’s Steel City Shows has set up a midway packed with games, rides and food booths. Company owner Bill Swank said 14 rides and about 15 games are on site that will appeal to kids and adults alike — “something for everyone.” A key attraction, he said, is the new High Flyer,” a large ship ride that swings riders upside down. “High Flyer” stands more than six stories tall and is one of 17 such rides in the world. A variety of community organizations have set up booths, including the Apollo Area Pool and Recreation Authority, which sponsors a central food tent. The festival also affords an opportunity for the community to support its fire department. Apollo Volunteer Fire Department No. 2 is the event sponsor and makes from $7,500 to $8,500 each year after festival costs. “We depend on these funds for general operating expenses,” Kerr said. Apollo No. 2 will sell commemorative patches designed by Gary Gardner, a lifetime department member, at its festival booth. The Moon Landing Celebration got its name and start in the late 1960s following NASA’s Apollo 11 moon mission. Apollo’s mayor, Duane Guthrie, and Charles Leidy, the tax collector, began promoting connections between the borough’s name and dignified Apollos through history, including the mythical Greek god and the NASA program by the same name. The festival usually attracts about 10,000 people annually. Additional Information:

If you go

The 38th annual Apollo Moon Landing Celebration runs through Saturday in Owens Field. Rides, booths and attractions will be open 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night. Here are a few highlights: Tonight : Family Night. Ride-all-night tickets will be available for $12. Thursday: Kiski Valley Community Band, 7 p.m. at Joshua Henry Gazebo in Owens Grove Friday: Support Your Local Volunteer Fire Department Night Saturday: Youth Night. Prizes, including two bicycles, will be given away.

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