City set to celebrate 200 years

Something good will come from the long celebration, committee officials say.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- There's a reason Salem will celebrate its past and present with an eye toward the future.
"I think we dream big," said George W.S. Hays, co-chairman of the bicentennial committee. "We dream big and don't easily back down."
The celebration will cover a host of events and values that shaped the city and are expected to shape its future.
The main bicentennial events begin June 25 and end July 17. Ohio Chautauqua events will then run from July 18 through 22.
History
One of the city's dreams was peace because John Straughan and Zadok Street, who laid out Salem in 1806, were Quakers.
Others include women's rights -- Salem was host to the first women's rights convention west of the Allegheny Mountains -- and support of the anti-slavery movement.
When raiders neared Lisbon during the Confederacy's farthest push north during the Civil War, the city's Quakers picked up guns and marched south toward Lisbon.
"The Confederates were not going to come into the city of peace," Hays said.
In the city today, those values are reflected by "people being very supportive of what's in the best interest of the community," he added.
The bicentennial includes a legacy committee that will do something to commemorate the anniversary. The city's Centennial Park was created after the city's celebration of its first 100 years.
The Chautauqua events re-create the cultural programs of a century ago, when speakers and authors traveled the country to discuss the national issues of the day. The events in Salem will include portrayals of President Theodore Roosevelt, American Red Cross founder Clara Barton and World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle.
The bicentennial also will include a salute to former Salem resident Alan Freed, who coined the term rock 'n' roll. For good measure, in August, the Salem Community Theatre will present "Big River -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," which based on the writings of America's premier humorist Mark Twain.
Study
The celebration comes as the city is in the middle of a long-term study plan through Ohio State University.
Audrey Null, the executive director of the chamber, said the study is at the point where it is releasing the results of "visioning sessions" on what people want from the city as a whole.
"They are setting goals and objectives and different ideas and ways of projecting them into the future," Null said.
The study is expected to be finished next year. How the city will grow because of the study, the legacy committee, or the action of residents affected by the bicentennial and Chautauqua events, remains to be seen.
Null said she has noticed that as the bicentennial planning moves ahead, people and groups who would not communicate or work together in the past are doing so.
Salem has its problems, but some other area communities are in greater financial or political turmoil. But area leaders say Salem is in a rare position among area communities to be both able to have such a celebration and know that something concrete -- and good -- will come from it.
Daniel T. Moore, who is spearheading the OSU study, said that leaders or businessmen from other communities haven't contacted him to discuss it.
Highlights
The bicentennial leaders are quick to count the city's blessings, from its values to the branch of the Butler Institute of American Art, its schools and strong alumni association, the theater, the Salem Community Center and the Salem Community Foundation.
Moore also said that when it comes to the bicentennial, "The community is definitely trying to roll out the carpet and show what's going on here."
The bicentennial committee isn't trying to be an example, but it is reaching out to people and communities in Northeast Ohio, in part through advertising the Chautauqua events.
Null said, "In a sense, there's a willingness to share our story. We don't think we're perfect. We're willing to share our story and work to make improvements here. There's a lot of pride in our community."
wilkinson@vindy.com