BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The city is bursting with red, white, and blue as the Lincoln Highway Beautification Project officially kicks into full gear.
Hundreds of flowers are being planted along the historic route as part of the county’s celebration of America 250, a project leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary July 4 and spearheaded by the Crawford County History Alliance, CCHA.
“The flowers going into the ground now showcase, highlight, and enhance the areas we already have, and what’s more patriotic sounding than the Lincoln Highway,” said Elaine Gebhardt-Naples, projects director for the History Alliance.
Volunteers, she said, created a flower bed at Family, Farm & Home brimming with red and white petunias, and are continuing with patriotic plantings at the Elks, VFW, Community Foundation, and other spots along Route 30 all the way to Picking Park.
Mary Lee Minor, who co-chairs the beautification project with Gebhardt-Naples, said blue Salvia and Verbena, another perennial, are being added to the sun-loving petunias, along with clusters of Dusty miller to grace the edges of the plantings.
“We’re off to a healthy start,” said Minor, whose group of 12 volunteers also include members of her garden club, Earth, Wind, and Flowers in town. “The petunia baskets are going in for high impact, and the other plantings will fill in the space.”
She said the new flowers – sourced locally at Scapes by Sarah – are being fertilized with a slow-feed mixture. A much-needed watering plan is also in place, and mulch is being spread where needed to help retain moisture in the soil.
The Hopley Monument, dedicated to John Edward Hopley, is also getting spruced up with flowers this year, Gebhardt-Naples said. The bronze plaque on the monument is being sandblasted and cleaned, and trees along the perimeter are being trimmed.
Gebhardt-Naples said these improvements to the 1887 relic will be timely since the Lincoln Highway National Conference in 2027 will be held in Lima, Ohio, drawing enthusiasts not only to the Buckeye state but also to Crawford County next June.
Finally, Hank’s Garage, which boasts the largest Edsel car collection in the world, now has a 4-by-8-foot Lincoln Highway sign and is featured on the America 250 Ohio Transportation Trail, she said, “another emblem of significance on this corridor.”
The History Alliance, which has received grants and donations to fund many of these projects, has been working since 2024 to plan local events and activities leading up to the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The kick-off was a heritage tree planting at Heckert Nature Preserve last October. Other commemorative events have included the “After Ike” documentary screening at Hord Farms in Bucyrus and a Big Birthday Bash at The Hub in Crestline.
Additional information and ways to donate toward beautification efforts are available on the CCHA website: crawfordcountyhistoryalliance.org. Events across Ohio are listed at america250-ohio.org