Celebrating 200 years with the town of Concord

The town of Concord will turn 200 years old this spring and Town Supervisor Gary Eppolito and his Bicentennial Steering Committee said they intend to help stage a series of events that will give everyone the opportunity to celebrate the occasion. The 2012 bicentennial will kick off with a community birthday party on March 20 and conclude with the burial of a time capsule in October. The town is putting together programs including fire hydrant painting, mile races and a speaker series. Over the next eight months, offered entertainment will welcome participants from all over.

The birthday party will feature former U.S. Congressman Thomas Reynolds as the guest speaker and music by Bill Cocca and the Springville Jazz Orchestra. Eppolito has arranged to have a cake baked for the occasion, the town’s oldest citizen will be recognized and the time capsule will be introduced. Festivities are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. There is no charge and all are invited to join in at the Concord Town Hall.

On the night after the birthday party, on Wednesday, March 21, the Concord Historical Society will begin its Lyceum Speaker Series, with Springville resident and author Jeff Miller at the podium. He will speak on the life of Springville’s Glenn “Pop” Warner. The program is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. at the town hall; admission is free and refreshments will be served. Three other dates have also been set aside for the speaker series. Harold Spencer will give a talk on the life of The Reverend John Spencer on April 4, Bill Cocca will present the music of Jack Yellen on May 9 and Jeff Mahl will speak about George Schuster and the Great Race on July 28. Look for additional Lyceum events to be announced as the year goes on.

Arbor Day will be observed on April 27 with the planting of the bicentennial tree in Concord Community Park. Schichtel’s Nursery is donating a silver maple and town administrators will oversee an on-site ceremony.

Springville area students will begin painting windows on Main Street on May 25. Many downtown businesses will welcome the young artists to decorate their window panes with bicentennial drawings that feature the theme “200 years of agriculture.” The paintings will remain on display through the Dairy Festival.

The Bicentennial Steering Committee will be partnering with the Dairy Fest to sponsor several events between Friday, July 1 and Sunday, July 3. A reenactment of maneuvers from the War of 1812 will take place on June 2 near the log cabin on North Buffalo Street. The high school athletic field will host a hot air balloon demonstration that same afternoon. The Erie County Fair trolley will be on hand on Saturday and Sunday, offering sightseeing tours to interested Dairy Fest patrons.

The Bicentennial Committee will also be involved in the Dairy Festival parade. A cash prize will be offered to the float that best portrays the slogan “200 years of agriculture.”

The annual town of Concord/village of Springville Community Picnic will once again be held on the Fourth of July at Concord Community Park and will be highlighted by that evening’s fireworks display. The steering committee is currently working with Springville Youth Inc. and the SYI-sponsored Springville Little League to expand that day’s program to include a Pitch, Hit and Run competition, a home run hitting contest and/or an “old timers” baseball game.

On the first Saturday in August, the town will stage a Fiddle and Bluegrass Festival along Franklin Street. Thus far, four musical groups (the Middle Road Misfits, Country Joe, the Sunset Bluegrass Band and the Mercantile Musicians) have committed to the Aug. 4 date. Three venues (the Fiddlers Green Gazebo, the Concord Mercantile and the old V.F.W. building) have been reserved to accommodate the bands and their followers.

The steering committee is looking for a group to organize sidewalk artwork along Franklin Street and throughout Fiddlers Green Park on the day of the Fiddle Fest. Interested parties can reach the committee through Eppolito’s office at 592-4946.

Wendel’s Poultry has been booked to cater two bicentennial chicken barbecues. The Fiddle Fest will feature the first barbecue, while the Mile Races will also have Wendel’s chicken available on Oct. 7.

Those bicentennial mile races and the interment of the time capsule, both scheduled for the first Sunday in October, were chosen to fall during autumn’s cool, sunny weather and nature’s colorful leaf changing to draw a crowd to the area surrounding Fiddlers Green Park. The running event, scheduled to kick off at noon, will feature five 1-mile sprints: girls scholastic, boys scholastic, masters, womens open and mens open. The awards ceremony will take place at the gazebo.

Following the trophy presentation, the steering committee will take over and the loading of the capsule will begin. Memorabilia, having been collected throughout the year, will be recognized and sealed away. The actual burial site will be on the corner of Franklin and Mechanic streets on town hall property. Smith-Weismantel Funeral Home will donate a U.S. military-style plaque to remind the locals’ grandchildren where to dig in 2062.

Several events that the steering committee has on the docket do not yet have the support of a group willing to organize them. An Antique Roadshow-type event, a pie baking contest, a carnival, an ice cream social and a brothers-of-the-bush competition could all be added to the schedule if sponsors are found.

Several items of bicentennial memorabilia are already circulating the community. The Jacquelyn Wilcox-designed bicentennial logo is being sold in cloth patch form by Boy Scout Troop 524. Louis Starr has embossed key bobs and leather coasters available. Springville Area Chamber of Commerce postcards will be out soon, as will the Concord Historical Society’s new book, “Springville.”

Hamburg and Eden are also celebrating their 200th birthdays this year and Eppolito has been in touch with their town officials regarding the possibility of a joint event. An exchange of parade floats is also being considered.

WSPQ, 1330 AM, will be just one local media outlet keeping the town of Concord abreast of bicentennial happenings. The “Springville PennySaver” and the “Springville Journal” will supply regular updates, changes in programming and follow-up information.