Wapakoneta's 175th Anniversary!
Welcome to our City's celebration! The citizens of Wapakoneta cordially invite you to join them in celebrating the 175th anniversary of the platting of Wapakoneta. From arrowheads to aerospace, this growing city by the Auglaize River has spawned Academy Award winners, the first man to walk on the moon and baseball Hall of Fame winners.
Schedule of Events
January 20, 1:30 p.m. Opening Ceremony, Auglaize County Courthouse, with the Village of New Bremen, FREE
January 22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Debut of Commemorative Postmark, Wapakoneta Post Office, FREE
January 22, Noon Ringing of Church Bells, throughout the community
February 4, 6 p.m. Lecture by Nina Parker, "The Underground Railroad in Ohio," Auglaize County Public District Library, FREE
Nina Parker is executive director of the Black Heritage Library & Multicultural Center in Findlay. This event is made possible through the generosity of the Wapakoneta Woman's Club and Skip Brodie.
February 25 through March 14 Lost Wapakoneta exhibit, Auglaize County Public District Library, FREE
Learn about Wapakoneta through this exhibit of images of the past, photographs of buildings and vistas long gone from the community. The exhibit is open during the library's regular business hours (Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
March 10, 6 p.m. Stories by Jim Bowsher, Auglaize County Library, FREE
This event is made possible through the generosity of Skip Brodie.
March 30, 1 to 5 p.m. The Sacred Art and Architecture of Wapakoneta, churches throughout the community, FREE
Visit Wapakoneta's churches for artistic inspiration. View the stained glass, statuary, and other art that shape these places of worship. This event is organized and sponsored by the Auglaize County Historical Society.
April 20, 2 p.m. Lecture by Barbara Schumann Given, Wapakoneta City Hall, FREE
An inductee to the Wapakoneta High School Hall of Fame, Dr. Given is a professor and senior scientist at Michigan State University.
May 12, 6 p.m. Lecture by novelist Jim Baumgardner , Auglaize County Library, FREE
The author of the Sarah series—Sarah's Wish, Sarah's Promise, and Sarah's Escape—will speak about these works of historical fiction set in our very own Wapakoneta, in the years 1858-60. The author's great-great-grandfather, John Baumgardner lived in Wapakoneta during the mid-19th century.
May 12-May 17 Exhibit: Life in 1833, Auglaize County Library, FREE
May 15, 7 p.m. Lecture by Tom Crouch (to celebrate the opening of Heroes of the Sky), Armstrong Air and Space Museum
A native of Dayton, Crouch is Senior Curator of Aeronautics of the National Air and Space Museum for the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. A prolific writer, Crouch is author of First Flight: The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane.
May 16-August 15 Exhibit: Heroes of the Sky: Adventures in Early Flight, 1903-1939 Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, FREE
Curated by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this traveling exhibit celebrates the inventors, entrepreneurs, and adventurers of early flight. Major funding for the exhibit has been provided by Home Savings Bank, with additional support from Minster Bank.
May 16, 7-9 p.m. Opening Reception for Heroes of the Sky, Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce, FREE
Join us for refreshments, fellowship, and a first look at the traveling exhibit.
May 19, 6:30 p.m. Book Discussion, First Man (about Neil Armstrong), Auglaize County Library, FREE
June 16, 6:30 p.m. Book Discussion, Panther in the Sky (about Tecumseh), Auglaize County Library, FREE
June 20 Dedication of Ohio Historical Society Marker , East Auglaize Street, FREE
June 20 Evening Entertainment, Harmon Park Gazebo, FREE
June 21, 2 p.m. 175th Anniversary Parade, Auglaize Street, FREE
June 21, Evening Entertainment, Auglaize River behind the downtown, FREE
June 22, 12:30 p.m. A Very Large Community Potluck, Auglaize County Fairgrounds
July 21, 6:30 p.m. Book Discussion, The Center of a Great Empire (about Ohio), Auglaize County Library, FREE
Summer Heritage Gardening Competition, sponsored by Roots & Shoots Garden Club
July 5 Opening of the Wapakoneta Water Park, Hamilton Road at Harrison Street
Fair Week & the Month After Exhibit: Made in New Bremen, Made in Wapakoneta, various sites
First Week of August Heroes of the Sky lecture by Glenn Research Center speaker, location and time TBA, FREE
Weekend of August 15 Dudley Nichols Film Festival, Wapa Theatre
August 18, 6:30 p.m. Book Discussion, The Frontiersmen, Auglaize County Library, FREE
Late September Weekend Harvest Festival, Auglaize County Fairgrounds
Early October Weekend Cemetery Walk, Evergreen Cemetery, sponsored by the Auglaize County Historical Society
October 20, 7:30 p.m. Lecture by Ann Bowers, Bowling Green State University, FREE
"White-Gloved Feminists: Women's Clubs in Ohio, 1880- 1920," This event is sponsored by the Irving & Helen Hunt Clubs and supported by the Humanities Council
November 3 40th Anniversary of the Auglaize County Public District Library, Auglaize County Library
November 6 Lecture by Randall Buchanan, Defiance College, FREE
"The Sorrowful Journey: The Departure of the Wapakoneta Shawnee," This event is sponsored by the Auglaize County Historical Society.
November 15-16 The Wallpaper Project reprise, Wapakoneta Middle School, free will offering accepted
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