Wagons, Ho!
Public invited to trace path to statehood with ride on
the Ohio Bicentennial Wagon Train
WORTHINGTON – A wagon train will be
crossing our state this summer and all Ohioans are encouraged to ride
along.
People of all ages are invited to register to ride on the Bicentennial
Wagon Train: Path to Statehood. The Wagon Train, a Signature Event of the
Ohio and Worthington Bicentennial celebrations, will journey across the
state June 21-July 14.
The Wagon Train is made possible with a grant from the Ohio Bicentennial
Commission and corporate sponsors Grange Insurance, Lawhon &
Associates, Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home, ThisWeek Community Newspapers,
Worthington Inn and Bicentennial Founding Sponsor Worthington Industries.
Space on the train is filling quickly. Registration applications are
available to download online at www.worthington.org/bicentennial or may be
picked up at a number of locations, including community libraries, area
chambers of commerce, convention and visitor bureaus, county offices and
historical societies. A list of specific locations can be obtained by
calling the Worthington Bicentennial Information Line at 614-543-0299.
The registration deadline is June 6. A daily fee of $25 per person will
help cover the costs of procuring wagons, animals, food, safety measures
and campsites. Participants can tailor their Wagon Tail adventure around a
weekend getaway or the family vacation. Travelers will be responsible for
transportation to and from the sites where they start and end their trip.
“Some people may want to make the entire trip while others may only want
to spend a day or two,” said John Butterfield, Executive Director of the
Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce and Bicentennial Wagon Train
Committee chairperson.
During its 275-mile trek across the state, the Wagon Train will roughly
follow the National Road (U.S. 40) as it crosses 10 counties. Communities
along the route are planning special parades, picnics and parties to
welcome the rolling history event
Just as Ohio settlers did 200 years ago, the Wagon Train will begin in
Martins Ferry. Beginning June 21, it will follow a route that traverses
sections of Zane’s Trace and the National Road, pivotal routes for the
early 19th century settlement of Ohio. In the eastern phase, the train
will pass through Belmont, Guernsey, Muskingum, Licking and Franklin
counties.
The train will arrive in Worthington on Saturday, July 5, when it will
lead the Bicentennial Homecoming Parade. From Worthington, the Wagon Train
will continue its journey west through Madison, Clark, Miami and
Montgomery counties before ending in Preble County, in New Paris, on July
14. Participants will travel from 12 to 16 miles a day depending on the
terrain and the number of scheduled activities.
The Wagon Train is a unique partnership between the Ohio Bicentennial
Commission and the Worthington Bicentennial Committee. The event will
honor those who settled Ohio and laid the foundations for statehood, as
well as the 100 men, women and children who traveled west from the
Farmington River Valley of Connecticut and Massachusetts in the fall of
1803 to settle Worthington.
For more information, please visit www.worthington.org/bicentennial or
call the Worthington Bicentennial Information Line at 614-543-0299. For
more information on Ohio Bicentennial events, call 1-888-OHIO-200, or
visit www.ohio200.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
John Butterfield, Wagon Train Committee, 614-888-3040
Fred Stratmann, Ohio Bicentennial Commission, 614-466-3531