Delay can’t stop Holmes bicentennial celebration

A delay thanks to Mother Nature didn’t dampen the spirits of either the organizers of the Holmes County bicentennial celebration that took place in Millersburg on Sunday, June 30, nor the many people who turned out to watch the bicentennial parade, witness the unveiling of the new Holmes County historical video or enjoy Historic Downtown Millersburg’s massive firework display that culminated a busy day of activity.

Bicentennial committee chairperson Melissa Patrick and Taylor Sigler, Historic Downtown Millersburg executive director, had to pull plenty of strings at the last second to push the big day back 24 hours from its original Saturday, June 29 schedule due to the major threat of inclement weather.

It was a frantic time of scrambling for the duo, who called for the aid of several key people including Millersburg Mayor Kelly Hoffee, Holmes County Emergency Management Agency Director Jason Troyer and others.

However, with a concerted effort, they were able to get the postponement message out to many through various social media outlets. The work paid off, with a large crowd turning out for the grand parade at noon the next day, along with plenty of children’s activities and other special events including plenty of sharing from local and statewide officials.

“The delay because of the weather was disappointing and created a lot of work, but I don’t think I could have a bigger smile on my face,” Patrick said following the big reveal of the bicentennial video in the courthouse on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. “Taylor has worked just as equally hard in getting everything changed. We definitely bonded during our time together.”

The gathering in the courthouse saw several local and state officials speak in celebrating this achievement.

After Patrick opened the ceremony, Hoffee welcomed Holmes County commissioner Joe Miller, who shared his joy of serving Holmes County and its people for the past decade-plus.

The keynote speaker was Ohio’s U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson, who praised Holmes County for being a special place to live or visit.

Congressman Max Miller’s Northeast Ohio regional representative Pay Paoletta spoke before Mary Kay Hastings of Lt. Gov. John Husted’s office presented a commendation to Patrick.

“When I heard this event was moved from Saturday to Sunday, I thought, ‘I wouldn’t want to be in Melissa’s shoes,’” Hastings said. “But when I arrived today, seeing all the children outside playing, all the families together, and how many people from the community came together and made this such a spectacular day and event, I was blown away.”

She said she has been to Holmes County many times, and it is always quiet and peaceful, but she said this was a very different feel.

“Today it was a big festival, and I love to see it,” Hastings said.

Holmes County Republican chair Rob Hovis and Democratic Party chair Ramona Stoner also spoke prior to the inaugural showing of the new Holmes County bicentennial history video that was produced by Bronson Allison, owner of LiveMoreTV, and written and narrated by Patrick.

“It was very challenging because many of the photos don’t exist, so we really had to dig and find things, and I went to pretty much every town in Holmes County to shoot video,” Allison said. “There was so much history I didn’t know about, so I learned a great deal.”

He said having put this piece of history together, it now exists for all to look back on to provide insight into the 200 years that have built Holmes County into what it is today.

Patrick said putting this event together was a challenge yet very fulfilling, and she said this is a moment all Holmes Countians should cherish and celebrate because Holmes County is a special place.

“There’s so much I couldn’t include in the video, and that was hard, but we have more ways to learn about Holmes County coming up,” Patrick said.

While this day was the kickoff to the bicentennial celebration, Patrick said it only marks the beginning of an anniversary observance.

The bicentennial theme will continue to be promoted through the county’s festivals, fairs and other functions throughout the year, with the culmination taking place in June 2025 at Holmes Center for the Arts.

Anyone interested in seeing the entire courthouse celebration including the 200th anniversary video can find it on WKLM’s YouTube page.