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200th birthday bash planned for Chardon
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - July 28, 2010)
200th birthday bash planned for Chardon
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
The City of Chardon is calling on residents to provide memories and artifacts of the town's history.
It is part of the plans for a celebration of the community's 200th birthday that will take place in 2012. That will be the 200th anniversary of the founding of Chardon Township, from which Chardon Village was incorporated in 1851 and later became a city.
Heading the bicentennial celebration are co-chairwoman Cathy Gillette and former Mayor Karen Simpson. Mrs. Simpson said about a dozen people are on the committee, which will plan the yearlong celebration. The celebration will get in full swing the last week of July, she said.
In addition to needing volunteers, she said, the committee is interested in any artifacts residents may have from the city's history, including the sesquintennial, or 150th birthday celebration held in 1962.
"Oral histories are a great thing to record," she said.
Those interested in serving as a volunteer or to contribute artifacts or oral histories are asked to call city offices at (440) 286-2600.
Last week, Chardon Township Trustees agreed to be part of the celebration, according to Trustee Charles Strazinsky Jr. He said a representative of the township would begin attending meetings to help plan the event.
Mrs. Simpson said the city, or village at that time, celebrated its centennial in 1912 and the sesquicentennial in 1962.
She said committee members have researched the sesquicentennial and found the official program from the 1962 event, which was held July 27 to 29.
The program listed activities such as games on Chardon Square, a square dance at the bandstand, exhibits and parade.
Mrs. Simpson said while no plans have been made for the next celebration, many of the items listed from the 1962 event may become part of the bicentennial.
"The focus will be celebrating our history," Mrs. Simpson said.
Fireworks were also part of the 1962 celebration, she said, and could well be part of this one.
Some of the more notable pieces of the community's history are the early hanging on the square, the great fire on the square and Richard's Maple Products, a fixture in town for 100 years.
She said the committee is busy developing a logo and Web site for the bicentennial.
Although Chardon Township and the city have long since ceded from one another, Mrs. Simpson said, it is important to remember the ties the two have had for years. "It all comes from the same roots," she said.
As the calendar moves closer to the year of the celebration, Mrs. Simpson said, more details will be announced.
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