MANONING COUNTY Springfield Township prepares big celebration for 200th year

Help is needed in a variety of areas, including fund raising.
BY MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield Township will mark its 200th birthday this year, and community members are invited to help with the celebration, which will be June 21 to 29.
Trustee Shirley Heck, who along with Carrie Swansiger, is chairing the group planning the celebration, said committees have been formed and are working on a variety of events.
These include burial of a time capsule, a community history exhibit, a historical play featuring township residents, and a T-shirt designing contest, a parade and a festival. A detailed schedule will be released closer to the time of the celebration.
Raising money
To raise the approximate $6,000 cost, several fund-raising efforts are in the works, including $20 envelopes, which residents can fill with items to be buried in the time capsule, advertising banners to be carried in the parade, booth sponsorships, and sale of ads for a calendar depicting historically important area businesses.
Actors are needed for the play "One Foot in Heaven." The play, by Hartzell Spence, is set in the early 1900s and will be presented June 24 at the Intermediate School. Those interested in participating should contact the Rev. Rein Krone of Petersburg Presbyterian Church, who is overseeing the effort.
Anyone wanting to build a theme float can contact New Middletown Police Chief William Morvay at (330) 542-2846 or Springfield Township Police Chief Matthew Mohn at (330)-542-2377. The celebration includes New Middletown because the village is historically a part of the township, though it's now legally separate.
Whom to contact
For more information on any events, contact Heck or Swansiger, or any members of the event committee, which include Treasurer Zonda Haase, Secretary Mary McAndrew and members New Middletown Mayor Bob Carson, E. Ruth Denmeade, Brenda Dull, Randy Gooden, Doris Grossen, Jerry Hiznay, Springfield Township Fire Chief Brian Hughes, the Rev. Mr. Krone, Sally Macklin, Ruth Miller, Mike Minamyer, Mohn, Morvay, New Middletown Fire Chief Bill Opsitnik, the Rev. Frank Podolinski, Valorie Russell, Father Nick Shori and Carole Swansiger.