EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – The village will mark its 150th anniversary Saturday with a celebration that mixes festivities with history.
A community parade steps off at 10 a.m, featuring local marching bands, classic cars, community organizations and appearances by East Palestine alumni.
Attractions including a 150 Years & 150 Facts exhibit at the East Palestine Memorial Library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will pay homage to village history.
The Historical Society’s Log Cabin Museum will be open during the same hours, with memorabilia on display and commemorative items for sale.
The recently remodeled history train depot will include conceptual designs, history displays and a photo wall.
Activities for children and families include bounce houses, horse-drawn carriage rides, old-fashion games, a dunk tank with local personalities, a variety of food trucks and local eateries downtown. Tacos, burgers, soda-mixing and other sweet treats will be available.
Events kicked off Thursday at the East Palestine library, with Megan Coil, director of the Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool, delivering a presentation about the W.S. George Pottery Co., once the largest pottery manufacturer in the U.S.
Founded in 1910, it boasted four plants, two of which were in East Palestine, according to Coil.
Born in East Liverpool, George brought the pottery making skills he learned there to East Palestine and flourished.
About 30 people attended Coil’s presentation, many of whom worked at the company or had family members who did. W.S. George Pottery declared bankruptcy in 1955 and was liquidated between 1959 and 1960.
Coil said the Museum of Ceramics is collecting oral histories of those who worked in local potteries.
Items from the pottery company and other products manufactured in East Palestine are displayed at the library as part of the sesquicentennial celebration.
Also as part of Saturday’s celebration, village police will offer a child ID kit program, while the fire department will have an ax throwing trailer from noon to 5 p.m.
Kast Iron Soda Works in Salem will be in the village, providing Flay’s Sparkling Soda Experience, commemorating the beverage once made and bottled in East Palestine. Flay’s bottles also are on display at the library.
A free oldies music show will round out the day at the high school auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m.
While many of the events reflect on the village’s past, another display at the library focuses on its possible future.
East Palestine High School seniors wrote essays, focusing on what they predict for the village when it celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2175. Many of the essays mention the events of the past few years and question if the village will have the resilience to overcome them. Several reflect a pride in growing up in a “small, great community.”