By Kevin Greer
Lakeside Communications Manager
When Randy Snow and Cindy Grimm were asked to be Co-Chairs of the Lakeside Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, they knew it was a big responsibility, but they were up for the challenge.
When other communities celebrate milestone anniversaries, they prepare for weekend or weeklong celebrations. Snow, Grimm and the rest of the committee members started planning in August 2021 for 102 days of activities beginning May 26, 2023.
“We were asked to do this at the end of July 2021,” Snow said. “Then we had to reach out to some people to come on board.”
Lakesiders who joined the team as subcommittee chairs were John Porcari (Four Pillars), Dave Boling and Mark Carle (History), Linda Huber (Media & Publications), Peter and Debbie Stephens (Special Events) and Ethel Bell (Community Groups Liaison). At-large members were Bill and Nancy Carlson, David Bell, Roger Berkowitz and Sean Gill.
Lakeside staff who contributed were Interim President & CEO Charles Allen, Vice President of Programming Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Vice President of Advancement & Marketing Gretchen Colon, Director of Arts & Entertainment Programming Shirley Stary and Senior Director of Religious Life and Pastoral Care Rev. Dr. Charlie Yoost.
Snow and Grimm conducted monthly meetings for 21 months and met with Lakeside’s Programming Team several times. The subcommittees also had their own meetings. Every member of the committee was a volunteer putting in countless hours toward the celebration.
“There were days and weeks where it was pretty much like a full-time job,” Grimm said. “It wasn’t that way all the time, but it’s hard to figure how many hours everybody put in.”
The group had never worked together on any project before. However, Snow and Grimm agreed they jelled quickly and there weren’t any hurdles to jump over.
“We just wanted everybody to stay the course and do their part,” Snow said. “Fortunately, everybody stepped up and did that in a pretty timely basis.”
Grimm added, “When planning something big like this, sometimes there’s a little bit of herding cats. Everybody kind of has their own idea of how they want to do things. The nice thing was it was a really enthusiastic committee that worked together and really wanted to get things done.”
The first three things the committee worked on were the theme, the logo and funding. They produced a logo design and chose “Building Community Since 1873” as the theme and designed the Seven Community Practices:
- Appreciate Our Story & Heritage
- Nurture Caring Relationships & Create a Sense of Belonging
- Create Harmony & Respect Differences
- Engage, Collaborate & Give
- Lead with Compassion, Integrity & Transparency
- Steward & Honor Places & Spaces
- Practice Spiritual, Intellectual, Cultural & Physical Well-Being
For funding, Berkowitz suggested starting a Sesquicentennial Society, where people could donate $150 for three years, and 318 Lakesiders participated. The committee also began a corporate sponsorship program, where the group went to sponsors and invited them to participate in the Sesquicentennial Celebration with a donation. The total amount raised through Sesquicentennial fundraising and corporate/family donations was $279,000.
“We looked at those who had supported Lakeside in the past,” Snow said. “We are thankful for KeyBank as a Season Sponsor and Huntington Bank, Carlile Patchen & Murphy, Benesch, Zimmerman’s, Dearth Construction, Marblehead Bank, Lakeside Property Owners Association, The United Methodist Foundation of West Ohio Conference, Bassett’s Market, Catawba Island Club, Janotta & Herner and Crown Battery for their financial support.” Snow said. “Many Lakeside Businesses and Merchants supported the 150th Celebration.”
Peter and Debbie Stephens came up with the Decades Parties, Founders Day activities and the first Goodtime cruise from Lakeside in over a decade. The cruise sold out and may return for another tour around the islands in 2025. The Stephens played a big role with the time capsule and the new artwork that popped up all over Lakeside, including the new mayfly mural created by Beth Sage, who worked with Fleming-Gifford to come up with the idea.
Many of the committee planned events and programs will become Lakeside staples. Chances to purchase the Sesquicentennial book and Lakeside-Opoly game from the Lakeside Heritage Society aren’t going away any time soon. A subcommittee of eight Lakesiders, including Grimm, Boling and Huber, wrote and published the book through the Lakeside Heritage Society. Huber was also instrumental in developing a timeline exhibit, the Train Station sign and working with Toledo PBS affiliate WGTE on the documentary “Lakeside Chautauqua: An American Treasure,” and getting CBS News correspondent and Lakesider Steve Hartman to do the narration.
“I think this will more emphasis on the continuing effect of the Sesquecentenial Celebration going forward,” Snow said.
Boling, Carle, Carlson, Colon and a history subcommittee of 10 Lakesiders were heavily involved in selecting the 31 sites on the new Heritage Trail, writing the content and getting the signs for each location. The Lakeside Women’s Club and a Lakeside donor made significant contributions to the new tram. Tours on the new vehicle were popular all summer.
One of the most popular events added to the Lakeside calendar was the Keynote Speaker Series in Hoover Auditorium. What made it unique was the wide range of topics from the 13 lectures, including community, journalism, sports, social justice, dog sledding, space, environment and archeology. The series will continue next season with a couple changes. There will be fewer speakers and the lectures will move from Tuesday to Thursday evenings with the hope people will extend their weekend in Lakeside.
Many of the keynotes were recommended by Lakesiders who were acquaintances or had working relationships with them. Some donated funds to cover costs, while other speakers came to Lakeside at a reduced price or no cost other than covering their travel expenses.
“We were able to get some really top-notch speakers, and we didn’t have to pay them a fee,” Snow said. “The Keynote Speaker Series really raised the level of Chautauqua educational experience. It was a real treat every week to be able to go and hear one of the speakers.”
Snow and Grimm both said being co-chairs was “rewarding” and enjoyed working with “high-quality people.” They believe the committee accomplished its goals — highlight Lakeside’s past, celebrate its presence and look to the future. They said it means a lot to them to see all the work they did over 21 months come to fruition.
“Working with this group was really great and the staff really worked well with the volunteers,” Grimm said. “Just the idea of setting a pretty big goal and being able to achieve it and see it was the biggest sense of satisfaction. There was just a sense of, ‘Wow, this is exciting.’ Working with an energized group of people and accomplishing a task is always a rewarding experience.”
Snow added, “Working with Cindy and this whole staff was great. The volunteers and staff have great skills. It was fun to work with the group like that and the congeniality was really there. Things like the Tram Tour and Heritage Trail are long-lasting effects that are important for Lakeside.”
We thank Randy and Cindy and the entire committee for their dedication, hard-work and leadership on the Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Sesquicentennial Steering Committee
Subcommittee Chairs:
Four Pillars: John Porcari
History: Dave Boling, Mark Carle
Media & Publications: Linda Huber
Special Events: Peter & Debbie Stephens
Community Groups Liaison: Ethel Bell
At-Large Members
David Bell
Roger Berkowitz
Bill & Nancy Carlson
Sean Gill
Staff
Charles Allen
Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Gretchen Colón
Shirley Stary
Charlie Yoost
