ASHLAND — The final piece of Ashland’s Bicentennial Celebration will unfold on Thursday, July 28, with the dedication of the new Ashland Bicentennial Park on East Main Street just east of the intersection of Cleveland Avenue. The 10 a.m. event is being held on the anniversary of the founding of Uniontown, now Ashland, Ohio.
“This event will culminate the very successful Bicentennial Celebration, as we thank those who were part of making our city’s 200th birthday a success and dedicate this park in their honor,” said Rick Spreng, co-chair of the Bicentennial Celebration Committee.
Built as a permanent reminder of the community’s commitment to the year-long celebration, the park has been constructed to recognize the many sponsors, donors and volunteers who gave of themselves to make the celebration possible.
“It will be a gathering place for the men, women and children of Ashland who want to remember the Bicentennial and the future it represents,” Spreng said.
Three local companies, Sticks-n- Stones Landscaping, Sloan Concrete and Moritz Materials were involved in the construction of the park. The park’s walkway is donated by Home Hardware in honor of Gaylord and Beulah Miller; the bike racks are donated by Dairy Queen; and the trash containers donated by the City of Ashland. The commemorative marker at the location is donated by Ashland Monument and the bronze plaque on the marker is donated by Town and Country Co-Op.
The dedication program will be conducted by the leadership of Ashland Main Street, an organization whose mission is “a community effort to promote and preserve our downtown.” AMS’s overall goals are to be a resource for downtown businesses, to bring people back to the historic center of our community, to help the community to grow and thrive, and to serve as a catalyst for a stronger and more successful Ashland. The earlier Downtown Beautification effort and the park dedication are important steps toward realizing these goals.
Highlights of the dedication will be the unveiling of the commemorative marker that will recognize the sponsors, donors and community citizens who made the Bicentennial successful; the unveiling of a sponsorship standard recognizing the sponsors of the many activities, events, programs and special commitments; and the dedication of the Montgomery School Flag Pole, donated by the Ashland City Schools, with the assistance of the VFW Color Guard, the Rick Ewing family and Doug Marrah, the superintendent of City Schools.
Those speaking as part of the event will include Scott Young, president/treasurer of Ashland Main Street Inc.; Sandra Tunnell, executive director of Ashland Main Street Inc.; Larry Paxton, finance director for the city of Ashland; Bill Strine, former city of Ashland mayor and vice president of the Board of Directors for Ashland County Historical Society; Rick and Kim Spreng, Bicentennial Celebration Committee co-chairs; and Damon Hitchcock, general sales manager for Donley Auto Group, the main sponsor of the Bicentennial.
The City of Ashland celebrated its 200th year anniversary during 2015 and hosted many different events as part of the year-long celebration, which was sponsored by Donley Auto Group.
