Sugarcreek is keeping time and charm in the village
By Kyle Valentini
July 9, 2013
394
It is not every day you find a nearly 24-foot tall cuckoo clock available for sale at auction but on August 22, 2009, Mark Coblentz, owner of Walnut Creek Foods did. He knew it was special and something that should be preserved for future generations to enjoy. Coblentz paid about $15,000 for the regional oddity but had no real idea what he was going to do with the timepiece in need of repairs even after a $20,000 restoration in 2007. One thing he did know, the clock would remain in the region.
Construction of the clock, according to a vintage Alpine Alpa postcard began in 1962 and took 12 years to complete, with a pond and waterfall added later. The clock stood for decades on a hill behind the Alpine Alpa restaurant at Wilmot. Every 30 minutes, a three-foot-tall couple on tracks danced the polka to Bavarian music played by a five-piece animated oompa band hand carved in Schwarzwald, Germany.
Alpine Alpa opened in 1935 and was originally a cheese-making shop operated by Hans and Alice Grossniklaus. A Swiss-themed restaurant and clock shop would later be added but when business slowed in the early 1960s the family decided an attraction was needed to draw crowds back. The clock attracted visitors from all over the nation and remains a vivid childhood memory for residents in the region.
After 67 years in business, the Grossnikaus sold the business along with the iconic clock. With new owners and a new name, the Ohio Amish Country attraction would be shuttered within seven years.
Local businessperson, Lavon Daugherty saw potential in the giant clock and it did not take long before he approached Coblentz with the idea of moving the clock to Sugarcreek, a community known as the Little Switzerland of Ohio.
A committee was formed to make the dream of bringing the clock to the village a reality. Current Sugarcreek Mayor, Clayton Weller was on that committee. It took a lot of hard work but we never gave up even though there was opposition, said Weller. We knew that clock belonged in Sugarcreek. Coblentz agreed and donated the vintage timepiece to the village.
Moving the clock from Wilmot to Sugarcreek was no small feat. Deconstruction was necessary and with no clear plan in place, the clock would be placed on a vacant lot on Factory Street on July 6, 2010.
The people who come to Sugarcreek needed something new, said Weller. They needed something they could enjoy without having to stick their hands in their pockets and reach for money. While some people wanted the clock to be indoors and a paid attraction I along with many others believed it should be displayed outdoors for anyone to enjoy free of charge.
It took nearly two years, many fundraisers and even a few arguments before the giant clock would find a permanent home in downtown Sugarcreek at the intersection of Main and Broadway. Local residents stepped up to offer their skills and materials so that the clock could be restored to its former glory.
It was an extreme amount of work, said Weller. There was always somebody there working on it. It was a community effort like Ive never seen.
It is difficult not to smile when you visit one of the worlds largest cuckoo clocks. While it does not officially hold any records, it is stunning in size at 23 6 tall, 24 wide and 13 6 deep.
Weller said the clock is enjoyed by local residents as well as visitors to the village. We have seen an increase in the number of people coming to downtown Sugarcreek, said Weller. The clock was put in place on May 12, 2012 so we have had a little over a year to see the results of having it here.
The highly visible location of the clock adds to the charm of the Little Switzerland of Ohio. As development has taken place on Ohio State Route 39 over the years, downtown Sugarcreek was often overlooked. The village offers a host of local businesses, shops and restaurants and now a gigantic clock like no other in the nation.
Weller is confident this is just the beginning of a new era for the historic village that has roots back to 1814.
