WAPAKONETA — The Auglaize County 175th Anniversary Committee will present brief film clips from the 1948 County Centennial Parade on Thursday, July 6, 7 p.m., on the county historical society’s Facebook page.
In 1948 all of Auglaize County celebrated its Centennial during the first week of July. Events included a parade on July 6. Exactly 100 years later the County 175th Committee will broadcast the digitized version of the Centennial Parade to re-live that memorable occasion in the life of our county. To access the event, simply go to the Auglaize County Historical Society Facebook page (also accessible via https://www.facebook.com/AuglaizeCountyHistory) a little before 7pm on July 6. The premiere will launch on the hour. Viewers should adjust their volume (on the screen), if needed.
Committee member Rachel Barber emphasizes that the available footage, from the archives of the Auglaize County Historical Society, is quite short, less than eight minutes, in fact. “If folks in Auglaize County or beyond know about additional footage of the Centennial parade or other anniversary events from 1948, we’d love to have them contact us.” The historical society and anniversary committee would be grateful for the opportunity to borrow and digitize any additional materials.”
The committee is also interested in the opportunity to photograph any souvenirs from the centennial anniversary. Although the county historical society’s collections include a banner and pennant from 1948, reports indicate that souvenirs extended well beyond these items:
The volunteer members of the 175th committee include Rachel Barber, Lori Bellman, Genevieve Conradi, Dennis Dicke, Luann Everett, Dennis Gaertner, Don Harrod, Jim Lee, Esther Leffel, Edee Marshall, Mary Mathews, Sharon Schnell, Jeanne Shaw, Marilyn Shaw, Lisa Watercutter, and Charisse Zuppardo. The committee members have met monthly since mid-2021 to plan the milestone anniversary, which will include events throughout 2023.
