The booming sounds of the fireworks and the splashes at the pool will have more meaning this year as Bexley celebrates its centennial anniversary.
City Council President Matt Lampke introduced the ordinance by creating the centennial commission.
Lampke added that the committee is focusing on four main events, with numerous other celebrations.
The events will include the opening of the pool, the Fourth of July, the Labor Day celebrations and the Women’s Club house and garden tour, Lampke said.
“[The committee is] not necessarily putting on events but is
making sure everyone’s aware of the event,” Lampke said.
The opening of the pool on Memorial Day will kick off the “101 Days of Cel-
ebration” from Memorial Day to Labor Day with a pool party with live music and special recognitions of prominent Bexley citizens, Lampke said.
The usual Fourth of July parade will have a centennial theme, with the fireworks moving back into Bexley, Lampke said.
Committee chairman Tom Hill said the fireworks will be held on the Capital University soccer field, and the Jeffrey family will have a car in the parade.
Lampke said the fireworks had been moved out of the high school stadium during its renovations and moved to Wolfe Park.
“There is a lot of support in bringing the fireworks back [to Bexley],” Lampke said.
Hill said he hoped everybody would support and participate in the centennial festivities.
“I would like every resident and business in Bexley to have an American flag in the window,” he said.
School Board member Joan Fishel, who is also on the centennial committee, said the schools are also focusing activities on the centennial.
At the high school, technology teacher Dave Valentine’s video class is taking oral histories of Bexley citizens and their time in Bexley, Fisher said.
Fishel encouraged all Bexley citizens with a story to tell to participate and be interviewed for the video project.
Bexley’s new storytelling troupe wants to put on a performance about the history of Bexley, Fishel said.
Theater director Rebecca Rhinehart is in charge of the group.
“The storytelling group will be gathering stories from the community and then putting on a presentation in the fall,” Rhinehart said. “Storytelling is different from theater and is a ton of fun.”
Fishel said the goal was to have the public performance along with the video presentations about Bexley’s history. At the middle school, students in the leadership program are celebrating by collecting historical photographs and artifacts from Bexley, Fishel said.
Aside from the middle school leaders, historical memorabilia is also being collected by Public Information Coordinator Amy Thompson, Fishel
said.
Thompson said the display case will include old yearbooks, class photos, trophies and 1950’s curriculum guide, among other things.
Thompson is hoping to show some of Bexley’s history in a display case at the school, Fishel said.
One of the main events is the Women’s Club house and garden tour, Lampke said. The tour will examine houses and gardens around Bexley and possibly recognize some of the more prestigious Bexley houses, Lampke said.
“We’re making sure people are aware and recognizing people,” Lampke said. “You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve come from.”
Many of the celebrations will seem new, as the members of the committees have changed, Hill said.
“All I want is a positive attitude for this whole thing,” Hill said. “I think we’ll have fun.”
Hill said that the committee will be selling rubber wristbands. He added that for the 101 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, par- ticipating businesses in Bexley will offer discounts to those who purchased a wristband.
“It’s a great idea,” Hill said. “It brings more business to Bexley vendors and a discount for the people.”
Hill said the city will also be receiving time capsules from all the schools, including Capital University, which will either be buried or put on display at City Hall. The Bexley Historical Society is also involved in the centennial celebrations.
President David Baker said the society felt that the centennial was a good time to put together a book about Bexley.
“Bexley is rich in tradition and history,” Baker said. “The centennial gives us an opportunity to reflect on how Bexley has developed over the years and who has been integral in making it a special place to live.”
The book will have stories and articles from various authors, Baker said. He added that there will be pictures of Bexley throughout history.
Bexley has maintained its status and appeal throughout the last hundred years, Hill said.
“[The centennial] is a big step in any city,” Hill said. “You only have one centennial. We’ve been here a hundred years, and I’m proud of this city.”