The city of Ravenna will wish America a happy anniversary, inviting people to its America’s 250th Anniversary Community Picnic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ravenna City Hall and America’s 250th After Party Concert at Sunbeau Valley from 7 to 9 p.m. July 11.
Ravenna is following a recommendation from the America 250 Ohio-Commission for communities to organize picnics to observe the anniversary, said Council Clerk Chelsea Gregor.
During the picnic, Sycamore Street to Prospect Street will be closed, allowing attendees to fill the streets with chalk doodles. There will also be a wash station to clean off future Picassos.
Other activities and entertainment include a live DJ, two bounce houses, face painting, a dunk tank, local artist Bill Starcher’s artwork on display, promotional giveaways with patriotic-themed goodies and a live canine demonstration from the Ravenna Police Department. Uncle Sam is set to make an appearance, too.
To capture the historical occasion, there will also be photo backdrops and photo ops, including one with the Quaker Oats’ man.
Veteran’s organizations will also be present, providing information about outreach efforts at their tables.
“It’s going to be a really great memory for kids, teenagers, adults for years to come, so we hope everybody comes down,” Gregor said.
For food, hot dogs, cotton candy, snow cones and popcorn donated by the Ravenna 7 Movie Theatre will be given out during the event.
To help promote local restaurants and businesses, there will be no outside vendors present at the picnic. Instead, there will be one food truck provided by local businesses, said Tim Contant, Ravenna service director.
“We have a lot of eateries in downtown, specializations, wineries and stuff like that we’d like to just feature,” he said. “So, hopefully we’ll get a good turnout to where they can get some business for downtown.”
Later in the evening, people can see a live performance from DEK of Hearts, a Nashville-based country trio who placed in the top three of “The Voice’s” 28th season.
“It’s also a great opportunity to showcase not only the Sunbeau Valley Event Center, but also just to end the day,” Gregor said.
Tickets for the After Party Concert are $15 and will be able to be purchased online.
For those interested in attending either of these events, Gregor stressed the importance of arriving earlier to both, taking into account possible parking challenges.
With 166 parking spaces available at the Portage County Courthouse parking lot, she recommends parking there or taking advantage of additional side street parking that day.
Gregor added that for both festivities, attendees are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs and picnic blankets.
“I do believe that this is something that’s very special: 250th anniversary of America — I mean it doesn’t come around every day, so we’re looking at a wonderful event here,” Contant said.