Residents of the town of Mentz are celebrating community-wide.
Mentz, the township surrounding the village of Port Byron, will celebrate its 200th birthday, just a few decades short of the nation#'s 230th birthday.
Mentz's celebration will include all the trimmings, with breakfast, a parade, live bands, a bake sale, face painting by local artists, games, more food, raffles, finger printing for children and much more.
The library will host a huge book sale as well, keeping Mentzians well-read and aware of their community.
Everyone in Mentz is excited to celebrate the town's auspicious anniversary, adding to the excitement of planning the event.
“This thing is coming together so quickly,” said Mentz historian, Mike Riley.
The fact about Mentz's birthday is, it's almost 200 years old. Mentzians have rallied around their hometown and decided to hold a series of celebrations throughout the next year or so, culminating in the town's actual birthday.
Riley said the planning committee is working to make the event more of a community-building exercise.
“That's the plan, once this bicentennial kickoff awakens to the town that we#'re almost 200 years old #- we will keep the momentum going throughout the next 18 months,” Riley said
According to Riley, it is his and other planners' hope that other Mentz organizations will take up the bicentennial theme for their events throughout the next 18 months.
In the past, Mentz and the
village of Port Byron held an
annual field days that was well-attended.
The field days ended, and several years ago the annual Canal Days also ended in the area, so Riley hopes to spark the spirit of community in town residents once again, bringing them closer together in this celebration and the events to come.
“We could all take turns and give something for people to do. That's our goal here,” Riley said.
The town of Mentz, although it circles Port Byron, does have a separate birthday from the village. According to Riley, Port Byron's bicentennial birthday is still about 25 years away.
A number of small towns were formed in New York at the same time in 1802 and all were allowed to choose their own names. Many of the towns, according to Riley, used the same names, one of the most popular being “Jefferson.”
“It got confusing so what the legislature did is in 1808 they re-
named them all and let one
keep Jefferson, and renamed us
the town of Mentz,” Riley said, who also confirmed that the town could have celebrated its birthday four years ago, commemorating the date it split off from the town of Aurelius.
If you go
What: Town of Mentz
bicentennial celebration
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday
Where: Mentz Drive and adjacent Green Street
Cost: Free to attend,
differing prices on booths
Mentz's celebration will include all the trimmings, with breakfast, a parade, live bands, a bake sale, face painting by local artists, games, more food, raffles, finger printing for children and much more.
The library will host a huge book sale as well, keeping Mentzians well-read and aware of their community.
Everyone in Mentz is excited to celebrate the town's auspicious anniversary, adding to the excitement of planning the event.
“This thing is coming together so quickly,” said Mentz historian, Mike Riley.
The fact about Mentz's birthday is, it's almost 200 years old. Mentzians have rallied around their hometown and decided to hold a series of celebrations throughout the next year or so, culminating in the town's actual birthday.
Riley said the planning committee is working to make the event more of a community-building exercise.
“That's the plan, once this bicentennial kickoff awakens to the town that we#'re almost 200 years old #- we will keep the momentum going throughout the next 18 months,” Riley said
According to Riley, it is his and other planners' hope that other Mentz organizations will take up the bicentennial theme for their events throughout the next 18 months.
In the past, Mentz and the
village of Port Byron held an
annual field days that was well-attended.
The field days ended, and several years ago the annual Canal Days also ended in the area, so Riley hopes to spark the spirit of community in town residents once again, bringing them closer together in this celebration and the events to come.
“We could all take turns and give something for people to do. That's our goal here,” Riley said.
The town of Mentz, although it circles Port Byron, does have a separate birthday from the village. According to Riley, Port Byron's bicentennial birthday is still about 25 years away.
A number of small towns were formed in New York at the same time in 1802 and all were allowed to choose their own names. Many of the towns, according to Riley, used the same names, one of the most popular being “Jefferson.”
“It got confusing so what the legislature did is in 1808 they re-
named them all and let one
keep Jefferson, and renamed us
the town of Mentz,” Riley said, who also confirmed that the town could have celebrated its birthday four years ago, commemorating the date it split off from the town of Aurelius.
If you go
What: Town of Mentz
bicentennial celebration
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday
Where: Mentz Drive and adjacent Green Street
Cost: Free to attend,
differing prices on booths
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