Holmes Bicentennial Committee to put bow on celebration

Almost one year ago, Holmes County welcomed its major celebration of its bicentennial with a glorious extravaganza that honored the county’s 200 years of history.

Coming soon, it will put the wraps on the yearlong celebration, and bicentennial chairperson Melissa Patrick is eager to put on a grand finale.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, Holmes County will be aglow with plenty of activities that highlight the past, present and future of Holmes County.

“Our goal was to create something that was memorable and told the story of Holmes County throughout its history,” Patrick said. “This is going to put a really nice bow on this yearlong celebration.”

The fun will begin at the Holmes Center for the Arts near Berlin on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a series of small play vignettes written from middle school students from Wise, Chestnut Ridge and West Holmes Middle School.

The material was written after students listened to stories shared by Marcus Yoder, executive director at Behalt. The stories will depict scenes and people from the history of Holmes County, and each vignette will be performed with actors from HCA. Programs will begin at 1 p.m. There will be two sets of plays, with doors opening at noon.

Patrons also can learn about Holmes County’s past, courtesy of a number of representatives from the Holmes County Historical Society, numerous representatives from local county museums, the Holmes County Farm Bureau and more.

Also following the historical presentations will be the unveiling of the second Holmes County bicentennial video featuring predictions and hopes for the future of the county from a variety of local officials and others. The video comes courtesy of the creative mind of Bronson Allison, owner and founder of LiveMoreTV.

Local renowned pastry chef Jes McConville will provide specially made bicentennial cookies.

The activities will continue Sunday at 2 p.m. with a step back in time at the Timothy Baker Amphitheater on Glen Drive in Millersburg. American Musical Productions will present an authentic living history concert performance, recreating the beloved music of Willie Green Band, one of Holmes County’s many bands from decades ago.

“I had their band director, Joseph Rubin, who is a leading authority on early American music theater, reach out to me and talk about doing a historical presentation,” Patrick said, noting the director has done extensive work with Mark Boley, director of the HCHS, on digging up the county’s early bands.

“They explored a lot of bands that were popular in earlier times and settled on the Willie Green Band, probably one of the most popular bands of the early 1900s,” Patrick said.

The 23-piece concert band will perform in old-time uniforms, offering nearly 20 song selections that range from patriotic to waltzes, all of them having their roots steeped in the annuls of history.

“We wanted to keep it an outside concert to make it authentic, and the amphitheater is a perfect place to showcase their incredible talent,” Patrick said.

The performance will be livestreamed on WKLM 95.3 on the radio for those who can’t make it.

Immediately following the concert, the Village of Millersburg and HCHS will share what they are placing into the time capsules before sealing them, to be opened 50 years later.

In addition, Patrick said the HCHS is currently creating a historical trail for people to follow and visit a variety of Holmes County’s important historical sites.

The list includes the Victorian House, Millersburg Glass Museum, Killbuck Valley Museum, Winesburg Historical Society Antique Mall, Behalt, the Holmes County Courthouse, County Line Museum in Shreve, the German Culture Museum in Walnut Creek, Hotel Millersburg, the Greenville Treaty Line and Spellacy Bridge in Loudonville.

“It’s a great slice of Holmes County that covers the entire county,” Patrick said. “It’s still in the works, but it should be a fascinating tour.”

Patrick said carving down all of the county’s 200 years of historical data wasn’t easy, but she believes everything fell neatly into place and the weekend should be a joyful and memorable tribute to Holmes County.

“We tried to showcase Holmes County and its incredibly rich and awesome history as best we could,” Patrick said. “We have an amazing past, and it’s fun to look back on the many folks and events that have helped shape our county.

“We’re grateful to be able to share our history with everyone, and hopefully, they will find the journey to the past as enjoyable and educational as we have putting it all together.”

The first Holmes County bicentennial video is currently available for viewing on the Holmes County Bicentennial Facebook page and will be joined by the latter once it has debuted live.