ASHLAND – Two hundred and one years ago, on July 28, 1815, Ashland’s history began under the name of Uniontown. A new park on East Main Street in Ashland officially opened Thursday morning, with a reminder of the city’s past but an eye firmly on its future.
“The Bicentennial Park is a reminder that our city has a great past and has an even better future as we look forward to the next generation,” said Larry Paxton, city finance director.
Bicentennial Park, located next to Dairy Queen, was dedicated Thursday morning on the 201st anniversary of the founding of Uniontown as a permanent way to honor the efforts of all the sponsors, donors and volunteers who gave to make the year-long Ashland Bicentennial celebration special.
Although the dedication of Bicentennial Park was billed as the conclusion to the Celebration events, Rick Spreng, co-organizer of last year’s events with his wife, Kim, teased the crowd saying, “We have one more surprise for you folks in the future regarding the bicentennial.”
As Spreng remembered the many people who made the Bicentennial Celebration possible, he thanked the community and all who gave monetarily to make it a reality.
“Initially we thought we needed $110,000 to have this celebration last year, and we ended up with $535,000 in gifts in kind and cash,” Rick Spreng said. “It was beyond our wildest imagination.”
That giving allowed the Bicentennial Committee to put $75,000 into a fund with the Ashland County Community Foundation to be used for future events in Ashland.
“But it really wasn’t about the money. It was about the events and the celebration,” Spreng said.
The Committee spent five years and hundreds of hours to plan the year-long schedule of more than 30 events in 2015.
“The Bicentennial was about remembering the founding of Ashland and a celebration. Money helped us do that, but it was the efforts of hundreds and hundreds of people that caused us to have a good year last year and to enjoy it,” Spreng said.
Spreng said he has fond memories of attending a huge balloon capital celebration in Ashland when he was in high school.
“My hope is that my grandchildren remember last year. That that is in their minds and hearts and this will help them remember that,” Spreng said.
Spreng thanked Bicentennial Committee members Gene Haberman and Ralph Tomassi for their work in planting the seed and bringing Bicentennial Park to life.
“Gene and Ralph, they were the ones that had the vision for this park. They’re the ones who said this needs to happen. If they hadn’t pushed for this, it would not have happened,” Spreng said.
The flagpole in the park was preserved and restored from Montgomery Elementary School after it closed last year. Ashland City School Board member Rick Ewing, along with his wife, Jenny, and seven of his eight children, raised the flag at the park during Thursday’s ceremony. The Ashland VFW Post 1067 Honor Guard assisted with the flag raising.
“The best part about this flagpole is that it’s going to remind us of Montgomery School and the great families and the great things that happened there, as well as William Montgomery who was the founder of our town as we talked about earlier,” Ashland City Schools Supt. Doug Marrah said.
During the ceremony, a commemorative marker donated by Ashland Monument and a bronze plaque on the marker, donated by Town and Country Co-Op, were unveiled, along with a special sponsorship recognition stand recognizing all the community sponsors.
The work on the park was completed by three local companies, Sticks-n-Stones Landscaping, Sloan Concrete and Moritz Materials. The park’s walkway was donated by Home Hardware in memory of Gaylord and Beulah Miller, the bike racks were donated by Dairy Queen, and the City of Ashland donated the park’s trash cans.
