SYLVANIA – On July 4, hundreds of current and former residents of Sylvania gathered in Burnham Park for the Bicentennial Homecoming Picnic and Time Capsule Unveiling. Sylvania alumni traveled from as far away as Arizona to attend. Heritage Sylvania spearheaded the event with support from the Sylvania Recreation District, the City of Sylvania, and others. The capsule was originally buried on July 4, 1976.
A reading of the Declaration of Independence in the park’s gazebo preceded the picnic. After the reading, it was time to dig up the capsule. Once it was opened, items such as yearbooks, newspapers, books, and other memorabilia were removed and put on display.
Samantha Ayres, executive director of Heritage Sylvania, talked about the interest in and importance of reflecting on the past.
“It’s fun to see where we’ve been to do that comparison,” she said. “There’s a lot, I think, to learn. Of course, if you were there and you put things in the time capsule, you’ve seen that change in life.”
She emphasized, “You have to know your history or else you repeat it. I say that over and over. You got to learn from our past mistakes and grow from it. It’s very important to know our history.”
Ayres also believes it is important to preserve the stories about Sylvania. She noted that it was one of the first towns to receive a zip code and was the site of the first robbery committed by Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd.
She said that one of the biggest attractions of the event is the desire to come together. She noted that since the pandemic, some people have been more inclined to stay home, but this gives everyone a chance to gather for a picnic and forget about the world’s current events.
Gayleen Gindy, Ayres’ mother, has written 13 books about Sylvania’s history, including an eight-part series called Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio: From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond. She served on the board of Heritage Sylvania for many years before retiring. She now volunteers by managing Sylvania’s archives.
Gindy attended the bicentennial event 50 years ago when the first time capsule was buried. At the time, she contributed a decorative bicentennial glass that read “1776 to 1976.” This year, she plans to contribute her most recent book, A Sylvania Family’s Tragedy: The Murder of Alta Miller. The book details a murder that took place in 1935, and she wanted future generations to remember it.
“I published it this year, and it’s a murder that was very much forgotten over the years, and it will probably be forgotten again. 50 years from now, they’ll get that book, and people will remember it again.”
The time capsule is located at the intersection of Maplewood Avenue and Erie Street. Gindy said the location was chosen because the property was owned by the city, and organizers wanted a place where people would be able to see the capsule.
She hopes that many of the young people who attended the event will return in 50 years for the next time capsule opening.
Gindy also shared what has changed about Sylvania over the last 50 years.
“Everything has changed. We’ve torn down so many historic buildings. We’ve lost so many things, the historic things in Sylvania, but a lot of new buildings have replaced them.”
One of the attendees was Sheila Painter, a 73-year-old quilter and storyteller who has called Sylvania home since 1975. She said she has made more than 1,100 quilts and has donated almost all of them to charity.
Since a regular-sized quilt is too large for the time capsule, she brought small pocket prayer quilts created by Quilts of Compassion, a nonprofit organization in Toledo that makes disaster-relief and comfort quilts. The pocket quilts have a message attached stressing the importance of the quilting industry and expressing the hope that it will still be thriving 50 years from now.
“Quilting is fabulous, and we need to keep it alive. To cut up fabric and sew it back together into something warm and cuddly. It’s a wonderful thing.”
While the focus of the picnic was opening the time capsule, Sylvania plans to fill it with new items and rebury it. The city plans to refill the capsule sometime this fall and reopen it in 2076.
For those who missed the opening of the time capsule, the contents will be on display at the Cookie Kuhlman House, 5717 Main St., in downtown Sylvania, from July 11 through Sept. 13.
