kayakers during the opening-day ceremony. Closing day ceremonies are still under discussion, Hazlett said in January. “We will extinguish the torch,” she says. “One angle we’re looking at is the future of the river, a vision for the future.”
The parade subcommittee
“The parade — with the theme ‘200 years along the Crooked River’ — is really the biggest thing we’re working on,” Iula says. “We’re trying to get politicians, sports stars, entertainers and basketball coach Bobby Knight. We’re trying to get anyone with a connection to Cuyahoga Falls.” Iula says the guests can also have ties to Summit County like Chrissie Hynde, Melina Kanakaredes or Valerie Bertinelli. The parade committee began meeting last spring, with a spinoff committee focused on constructing a top-secret float meeting recently. Belby could not discuss the particulars of the float, but did say it would be “something very special and symbolic.” On Aug. 11, the parade will step off from Bolich Middle School at 10 a.m. It will travel down Portage Trail to Second Street where it will turn left and pass in front of City Hall. The parade will then turn right on Oakwood and end at Oakwood and Front Street. Anyone interested in participating in the parade should email cf200thparade@gmail.com. Belby said they are encouraging parade participants to construct floats. “In addition to judges judging the entries, we will also have the ‘People’s Choice Award,’” Belby said. “All spectators will have the ability to vote via text message for the parade entry they enjoyed the most.”
6
History and legacy subcommittee
The History and Legacy subcommittee is busy with plans for a historic house tour Aug. 4, says chair Sharon Myers. “We’re also working on restoring the Keyser barn on West Bath Road,” she says. The tour will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature eight houses. Also open on the tour will be the Chapel at Oakwood with a cemetery tour, the Car Museum, the Historical Society and Pilgrim Church. “There will be artists from the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center painting at each house along with [we hope] historic re-enactors at each house,” Myers says.
Commemorative book subcommittee
Since last spring, members of the commemorative book committee have been hard at work on “Cuyahoga Falls Bicentennial 2012 — Celebrating our past, our present and our future,” [a working title,] says chair Carol Morganti. “The book will capture the history, culture and traditions of Cuyahoga Falls’ rich heritage, from its founding as a pioneer town 200 years ago to the vibrant and progressive city that it is today.” Targeted for release in spring 2013, the committee hopes to cover and highlight events from the entire bicentennial year including the bicentennial wedding day on Dec. 12. “It’s going to be a very fun-filled, exciting year for the Falls,” Morganti says, adding that committee members see this commemorative book as a hard cover, coffee table book filled with “an abundance of striking images of the city’s past and present, plus personal accounts from long-time residents, information available from new media and much more,” Morganti says.
Falls magazine with chamber of commerce membership directory 2012