BUCYRUS – The official kick-off of the city’s Bicentennial celebration has been postponed until next year.
The Bratwurst Drop – originally planned for New Year’s Eve – will now be held in April, although an exact date has not yet been determined, according to Kelli Patterson, Bicentennial Coordinator, and the city’s Administrative Assistant.
“This event has already gathered so much support and interest from Bucyrus residents and more that the Commission decided that the event would be best suited in the spring of 2021,” Patterson said, “since this will be a widely supported Community Unity gathering.”
The Bicentennial Commission had planned to “drop” an eight-foot-long bratwurst sandwich on Washington Square on Dec. 31 to mark the official kick-off and mimic the famous ball drop on New York City’s Times Square. “We are still striving forward, but we have had to delay a bit,” Patterson explained.
A full slate of events, however, is still on tap for 2021, she said, including a Johnny Appleseed dedication on Finley Hill in the spring, an expanded Memorial Day parade, and a big Fourth of July weekend featuring a Founders Day parade through town, the traditional fireworks show, home tours, and an architectural scavenger hunt.
In addition to focusing on several permanent improvements or legacy projects, organizers are planning Bicentennial Progressive Tours in the fall, with stops at Speakeasy, the Copper Kettle Works, the Elks Lodge, the Historical Society and the Toledo & Central Ohio Train Station. Dinner will be served to tour-goers afterward.
The milestone year will be capped off Dec. 31, 2021, with a black-tie gala at the Loft at Pickwick Place. The Commission is working in conjunction with the Crawford County Arts Council to plan the ball, which during the early planning stages was also scheduled for this New Year’s Eve.
For now, the Commission is selling a limited number of commemorative ornaments for $20 each. A drive-thru sale will be held Sat., Dec. 12, and Sat., Dec. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon in the City Hall parking lot. Cars are being asked to enter the south parking lot, proceed to the alley, and exit to the north. Checks should be made out to “Projects Inc. – Bucyrus Bicentennial.”
“Community Unity” is the theme for the Bicentennial, with additional information on its website www.bucyrus2021.com