MCHS is bringing Heritage Days to life on Oct. 14

History will spring to life in an upcoming event that will turn its attention to the Killbuck Valley.

The Moreland Community Historical Society will present Heritage Days on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gail and Gwen Miller Farm, 8594 James Road.

The event will celebrate the Killbuck Valley and will include several local organizations that will paint a picture of the Killbuck Valley. People will be encouraged to stop by each of the representatives and chat about their organization and the displays they will showcase.

Included in the list of presenters will be The Wilderness Center, ODNR Division of Wildlife, Jeff Zemrock’s Native Artifacts, Franklin Township Cemeteries of the Killbuck Valley and discussion of the Underground Railroad.

“It’s a nice, well-rounded group that should present some really neat information and give people a wonderful chance to talk and ask questions,” said Gail Miller, a member of MCHS who will host the event on his farm.

The event actually began on Miller’s farm almost a dozen years ago and was created as a way to generate interest around the then-new MCHS organization.

He said its beginnings stem back to when the former Clark General Store, owned by the Clark family, went to auction in 2011.

“(Auctioneer) Steve Andrews was doing the auction, and instead of having his crew come in to get everything ready, a group of volunteers from the community decided they’d help get everything ready,” Miller said. “The place was almost a museum itself, and the community had a good time getting everything ready to sell. That’ kind of where our organization got its start, and a year later we created Heritage Days on our farm as a way to promote our new organization.”

Miller said the reason the event started on his farm was because it was one of the few places large enough to support the number of visitors coming to the celebration.

He said he and his wife had a decision to make many years ago, whether to tear down their large barn or have it restored. He said it didn’t take them long to arrive at the decision to restore the building, and they are grateful they did.

“This is a celebration of community, and we hope everyone takes the time to join us,” Miller said.

The 2023 Heritage Days event will include a Johnny Cash concert with local singer John Schmid, with Schmid presenting concerts at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.

There also will be a Nigel Brush Geology and Archaeology of Killbuck Valley presentation at approximately 3 p.m.

There will be a full meal available to patrons including a chicken and pork barbecue with a full complement of other menu items available.

In addition, there will be a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, a basket raffle, an Amish bake sale, an apple picking and more.

Miller said while sharing plenty of historical data and memorabilia with the public is a big part of the celebration, the other aspect of the event is the MCHS members hope it intrigues younger generations to get involved with the society and inspires them to pick up the mantle and continue the work the society has done despite being small in numbers.

“They’re the future of what we started,” Miller said. “This organization has been a blessing to a lot of people, and our hope is that through events like this, we can inspire others to become part of our family.”