Dear Maple Street: Thanks for the memories
The bricks that make up Maple Street in Sugarcreek have told a story for decades, having come directly from Belden Brick Co. many years ago. Soon the road will be paved over with asphalt, so the local community will provide one last opportunity to share memories of the old road during the Brick Road Bash Sunday, June 1.
Dorothy may have followed the yellow bricks in the movie “Wizard of Oz,” but the bricks being celebrated in an upcoming event will be along the lines of the dark-red variety that came directly from Belden Brick Co. in Sugarcreek.
On Sunday, June 1 from 3-5:30 p.m., Sugarcreek residents on Maple Street will host the Brick Road Bash in honor of the legendary Maple Street brick road that will be paved over later this summer. The event is free to attend.
The famed brick road has many fans, having created a certain nostalgic and beautiful look over many generations, and the idea of the bash was to invite people to come back to celebrate one final time.
“This gives us a chance to get together and cherish the brick road one last time before the neighborhood loses a little piece of its history,” said Brit Prather, a Maple Street resident who is helping coordinate the event. “This is for anyone, but especially for those who have lived in the area, who maybe grew up on Maple Street, live there today or have fond memories of it.”
Prather said there are many people who are sad to see it go, but they understand the reasoning behind paving it over because the constant repair and upkeep in maintaining the road is huge.
The bash will take place at Maple Street and Broadway Street and the police station, which will be blocked off for the event. People are invited to hang out for a relaxing evening of food, fellowship and sharing memories.
There will be photographers on hand to take pictures for anyone wishing to create a special memory of the old brick road.
“There’s something special about old brick roads like this that take people back to a different time, a little bit more relaxed, simpler times when people didn’t rush through life,” Prather said. “And my husband and I are fans of old things, so we wanted to help do something special for this event.”
There will be coffee, live music from Josh Compton and a fundraiser for Alpine Hills Museum, but mostly, it will be a time to reminisce about the old days when things like brick streets somehow seemed to beckon people to share their lives as a community.
The committee for the Brick Road Bash invites everyone who wants to share in the memories of a historic place and time in Sugarcreek to follow the red brick roads to an enjoyable evening of sharing together.