Culture
Pike County Bicentennial Celebrations Continue
By: Stephanie Stanley | The Athens Messenger
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Go Ohio Valley is a free app produced by Adams Publishing Group of Ohio and presents an avenue to explore numerous categories and activities in the region. This week’s featured listing features the celebration of 200 years for Pike County.
Pike County is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2015 with a series of bicentennial events ranging from historical tours, reenactments, musical entertainment, and more.
The countywide festivities continue June 19-21 as Waverly hosts “Always on the Move: Transportation thru the Years.”
“Whether it is by water, air, or land, transportation has played a significant role in the progression of Pike County over the last 200 years,” said Jeff Pinkerton, of the Pike County Bicentennial Committee. “This three-day celebration in our county seat of Waverly will feature a number of elements associated with transportation forms, from carriage to canal boat, railroad to Model T, tractors and motorcycles to hot air balloons.”
Also included in the weekend celebration is a Heroes Challenge featuring five local fire departments, inflatables for kids, transportation stations for hobbyists, and trolley tours.
Guided tours will lead bicentennial event attendees to well known and not so well-known landmarks in Waverly.
Bicentennial celebrations kicked off in January with opening ceremonies in Piketon, the dedication of a historical marker, and a Civil War Ball, held in Bristol Village. On May 15-16, Pike Countians gathered in Beaver for an “Olde Time Family Gatherin,” featuring late-1800s themed entertainment, music, vintage baseball games by the Ohio Village Muffins and Lady Diamonds, traveling magicians, and various craft demonstrations.
On July 18, the service and sacrifice of local veterans will be honored during a “Salute to Military Heroes,” held at the Pike County Fairgrounds, in Piketon. The patriotic-themed event will feature musical entertainment by Lee Greenwood. On Sept. 19-20, wood chips will fly as western Pike County hosts “Tribute to Our Natural Resources: Land That We Love,” featuring a lumberjack show, foods cooked over an open flame, and artisans at Pike Lake State Park as well as a “Kids Bash” to be held on Sept. 19 at Long’s Retreat Family Resort. Wrapping up the year’s celebration is “Music and Dance Through the Years,” an event featuring fashion and music, to be held at the athletic complex in Waverly.
“We invite you and want you to be part of our celebrations and birthday bashes,” said Pinkerton. “A celebration of this magnitude must be special in its own right, unforgettable for everyone who has the opportunity to be part of it. We will never again be part of a 200-year celebration for Pike County, so we must make this one incredible and something that will linger in memory and folklore for years to come.”
For a complete schedule of bicentennial events in Pike County, visit pikeohio200.com, or call (740) 947-9650.