Hinckley Bicentennial

Bicentennial Plaza is under construction.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2025 – a crisp, partly sunny morning – the Hinckley Clock was erected by the Hinckley Historical Society building! Jon Kolozvary (Greensmith Garden Center), Todd (Verdin Clock Company), and Quinten Tifft (Bicentennial Committee Co-Lead) helped make it happen.

Bicentennial Plaza will continue to be constructed over the next several weeks: landscaping, walkways, pavers, and fencing. You’ll see Greensmith Garden Center, Hinckley Garden Club, Jamn Construction, Tri-County Concrete, and Forever Fence & Rail each doing their part in its creation. Give them a wave hello and thank you.

Two benches where visitors can relax and reflect have also been generously sponsored by a local family.

Other sponsors contributing funds and in-kind  support to the overall Bicentennial Celebration are 1st Place Spiritwear, Huntington Bank, McClellan Septic, Fifth Third Bank, Minnehaha Water Outlet, Great Lakes Brewery, Weymouth Farms & Orchard Winery, BESCO, Karl Kastl, DMK Party Rental, Ascherl Studios, and The Highlander Studios.

You won’t go hungry on Bicentennial Day! A variety of tastes await: C& J Best Bakes (bakery), Wheely Good Food (awesome array of fair food), Empanadas on Wheels, and Samari Dynasty as well as hot dogs and pizza sales from local organizations.

More to follow on entertainment, passport destinations, sponsors, and food!

Written in stone, the names and remembrance of Hinckley residents, loved ones, businesses, and organizations will surround a clock tower, to be erected on the grounds of the Hinckley Historical Society house at 1634 Center Road in downtown Hinckley, and presented to the public on Bicentennial Day, July 19, 2025.

The clock tower is a gift to the community from The Hinckley Historical Society, The Hinckley Women’s Club, The Chorba Family, The Fischer Family, The Gaffney Family, Chuck Gibson, Dave and Ruth Ann Manley, Dennis and Marge Palik, The Rice Family, Ray and Emma Schulte, The Tifft Family and the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce.

And the generosity in making this place for reflection extends to about 200 Hinckley families, residents, businesses, and organizations who paid for the plaza pavers.

The Greensmith Garden center, Forever Fence, the Hinckley Garden Club, and Tri-County Concrete are donating labor and materials to make this vision a reality. Truly a Community effort to be proudly admired, visited, and shared for years to come. Thank you to all from the Hinckley Historical Society and Hinckley Bicentennial Committee.

PAST PORTAL – Hinckley Bicentennial’s Commemorative History Book. The limited edition publication includes some of Hinckley’s earliest stories, updates others, and picks up where the 175^th History Book left off.

With over 40 contributors providing information about different aspects of Hinckley’s history, its organizations, residents, and events, the work is truly the result of community effort.

The 48-page book includes a full-color photo gallery, and pays tribute to some of Hinckley’s home-grown personalities. A few copies were available at Buzzard Day, and what remains of the initial printing can be picked up, by appointment only, at the Hinckley Historical Society.

BUY A BOOK

Get your Hinckley Bicentennial SWAG and souvenirs at the Hinckley Historical Society’s booth at Buzzard Day.

Color Me Hinckley Coloring Books for kids aged 4-10 are free (while supplies last)! Featuring original artwork by local artist Laurie Kessler, its pages show area landmark buildings, with a little history on each.

Commemorative Stained Glass Panels will be available (while supplies last) at the special event cash/check ‘n carry out price of $50 (normally $60). Handmade at Ascherl Studios in downtown Hinckley, the 8” x 6.5” panels spotlight the Bicentennial logo. Mount on a window, suspend, or display on a table stand.

Bicentennial Plaza Pavers – here’s your last chance to mark your spot with a personalized paver, to be unveiled at the celebration on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Sales are ongoing online, and close on March 20, 2025.

Bicentennial History Books – with updated information, stories, and pictures since the 175^th Anniversary edition in 2000, this keepsake publication is a perfect gift for “Hinckleyphiles”, and an ideal addition to a personal family library. A limited supply

The Clock Tower will be the crowing point of the Bicentennial Plaza, to be situated beside the Hinckley Historical Society Building at 1634 Center Road in Hinckley. It is approximated to sit where the current monument sign now stands.

At or on its base will be the names of its sponsors:

The Tifft Family, The Manley Family, The Gaffney Family

The Bicentennial Plaza, paved with the names of families, residents, and organizations will be nestled in the landscaped gardens surrounding the clock and the historical society building.

The space will be designed as a peaceful place for reflection and remembrance, fully accessible to the public.

(click images for larger view)

It takes our community to help stage Hinckley’s 200th anniversary event on Saturday, July 19, 2025, and the Hinckley Bicentennial Celebration Committee needs your help.

1. 1. 1. 1. Parade participants – introduce your organization, business, club to the community
         2. Volunteers – help plan and run events
         3. Sponsors – contribute materially and/or financially to cover expenses for the event

Sponsorship Levels

• Friends of Hinckley – up to $199
• Small Town, Big Hearts – $200 – $999
• The Great Hunt – $1,000 – $2,499 (includes social media posts/exposure and on-site signage)
• Bicentennial Plaza Clock Tower Sponsor – $2,500 – $5,000 (includes social media posts/exposure, customized, engraved limestone plaque in Bicentennial Plaza)

 Commemorative Pavers & Stained Glass Panels

Other ways to support the event are to purchase a paver or donate to the Hinckley Historical Society to receive a commemorative stained glass panel.

Be There & Share

All the festivities are free to attend, and the more the merrier! Please share information about the event and invite your social network to do the same!

Learn more. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hinckleyohhistoricalsociety. Find us online at https://hinckleyohiohistoricalsociety.com/hinckley-bicentennial-2025/. Sign up to receive information at http://eepurl.com/iPoB4g.

January 1, 2025 – the countdown to Hinckley’s Bicentennial Celebration is 200 days away! The Hinckley Historical Society, Bicentennial Committee, and local talents have created collectible gifts to commemorate the occasion.

Ascherl Studios is hand crafting stained glass panels decorated with the Bicentennial logo designed by Hinckley resident, Mark Staron II. Your gift with every $60 donation to help fund Bicentennial events.

Laurie Kessler’s collection of beautifully drawn Hinckley landmark buildings make up the pages of Color Me Hinckley, a coloring book for children K-3, available at Buzzard Day and the Bicentennial Celebration. It’s a gift made free thanks to Coco Café, Mollie Manley, M.D., Hinckley Preparatory Academy, and Hinckley Historical Society.

Commemorative pavers will line the walkway to a new clock tower at Bicentennial Plaza, to be situated on the Hinckley Historical Society grounds, where a monument sign now stands. You’ll recognize the names of families, residents, businesses and organizations who have already reserved their pavers there. If you’d like to be included, please order by March 2025.

Donate or order pavers at https://hinckleyohiohistoricalsociety.com/hinckley-bicentennial-2025/

Learn more, volunteer, participate, or sponsor the Bicentennial – sign up to receive information at http://eepurl.com/iPoB4g

You won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Hinckley Township, Ohio on Saturday, July 19, 2025. The Hinckley Historical Society and partnering organizations are planning a day-long birthday party for our beloved community – and you’re invited!

Look forward to a fun-filled day, including a parade, a variety of entertainment, games & rides, interactive & educational activities, food trucks, craft and souvenir pop-up shops, a car show, historical tours and programs, and a grand finale ending with fireworks!

Amenities will be available to make your visit easy and enjoyable. Free parking, rest areas, and water stations, along with accommodations for your safety and comfort.

Help host the Bicentennial event: volunteer, participate, or sponsor the Bicentennial – sign up to receive information or contact the Historical Society at http://eepurl.com/iPoB4g

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 19, 2025 to join the township in celebrating Hinckley’s 200^th anniversary.

Become a permanent part of Hinckley Township’s legacy: purchase a personalized, engraved paver which will be prominently displayed at the Hinckley Historical Society’s Bicentennial Plaza, 1634 Center Road.

This fundraising initiative is a contribution to preserving our township’s history, as well as leaving a lasting mark for future generations to admire and appreciate. Every paver purchased directly supports the Bicentennial Celebration efforts.

Ideas for inscriptions:

• Recognizing your family name of someone special in a lasting way
• Remembering a loved one
• Adding an uplifting message
• Celebrating an important event or occasion
• Honoring a community

Engraved pavers include inscription fee and brick paver:

• 4” x 8” with 3 lines of text ($100)
• 8” x 8” with 6 lines of text ($200)
• 8” x 8” with text & logo ($500)

To donate, volunteer, or purchase a paver, sign up to receive information or contact the Historical Society at https://hinckleyohiohistoricalsociety.com/hinckley-bicentennial-2025/

Remember to mark your calendars for Saturday, July 19, 2025 to join the township in celebrating Hinckley’s 200^th anniversary.

Coming up on Hinckley Ohio’s 2025 Bicentennial, here are a few photographs from the 1919 Centennial Celebration (delayed due to WWI), a flyer and program page from the Sesquicentennial (150th) in 1975, and the latest Demisemiseptcentennial (175th) flyer.

(Note: we found many terms for 175th anniversary: Septaquintaquinquecentennial, Terquasquicentennial, Dodransbicentennial – we went with what seemed the easiest to remember/say)

Click on an image to enlarge.

Famous worldwide for Buzzard Day, Hinckley’s colorful history includes lesser-known stories of generosity, magical stone carvings, and the attempted assassination of the wealthy landowner for whom Whipp’s Ledges is named.

The land purchased by Judge Samuel Hinckley in 1795 remained a wilderness for decades. Wildlife made it difficult to settle, which led to The Great Hinckley Hunt in 1818. Afterward, an 1819 survey to create 100 plots of 160 acres each, resulted in the creation of Hinckley Township, established in 1825.

On July 19, the 200^th day of 2025, Hinckley Township will celebrate its 200th Anniversary. Mark your calendar and be there!

Whether your family roots are in Hinckley, or you’re a transplant, learn about Hinckley’s 200-year history and Bicentennial updates by following the Hinckley OH Historical Society and Hinckley Ohio Bicentennial Facebook pages.

Schedules and activities, such as food, craft, games/activity vendors, a beer/wine garden, live music, and fireworks,  for the day-long event are still in the planning stages. Interested in sponsoring, participating, and/or volunteering? Get involved. Signup on the popup to get on the invitation list.