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Legacy Project is collecting stories about Portage for 'living history'
Published on Saturday, Jun 07, 2008
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
One described growing up near the abandoned Brady Lake amusement park and using the roller coaster as a clubhouse.
Another recalled the preparations for a Sunday chicken dinner.
And yet another writer worried about the future of Portage County.
They are just a few of those who have written their stories for the Portage County Bicentennial Committee's Legacy Project.
The project is collecting stories from residents about life in the county.
One writer, who was only 4 years old when the Brady Lake amusement park closed, recalled how the abandoned park became his playground.
''The roller-skating rink was used by us for kickball and dodgeball,'' he wrote.
The writer said he and his friends used the old roller coaster as a fort.
''We would often climb on this structure,'' he wrote. ''One time my friends and I built a clubhouse on one of the smaller hills.''
Sharon Alexander, the consumer sciences educator for Ohio State University's extension office in Portage County and the Legacy Project coordinator, said she will accept stories from county residents all year long and beyond the bicentennial year of 2008.
''It will never be too late,'' she said. ''It is a living history. People can add to their stories anytime.''
When stories come in, she said, she doesn't check spelling or edit them but allows them to be entered into the archives as is.
''It's not my story,'' she said. ''They can tell the story as they see it.''
One woman wrote of spending time in Freedom Township and watching her grandfather behead a chicken in preparation for Sunday dinner.
An 82-year-old from Charlestown Township wrote about the impact of development on farm country.
''My parents had two adjoining farms,'' he wrote. ''One was sold for $1,300 and one for $1,000. Now they're developments.''
Alexander, a Tallmadge resident, said that from reading what has been submitted, she senses that ''people are seeing a lot of change in their county and they are not sure they are happy about that.''
For questions about the Legacy Project, call Alexander at 330-296-6432 or write her at Ohio State University Extension, 6970 State Route 88, Ravenna, OH 44266. E-mail her at Alexander.386@osu.edu or fill out a questionnaire at http://www.co.portage.oh.us/Celebrate2008/Legacy_Project.html.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
Get the full article here.
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