The year 2018 will be a banner year for the city of North Royalton, as it celebrates its bicentennial. Plans are being finalized for the festivities, which will start this summer. Mayor Bob Stefanik said that plans are currently being finalized. “We wanted to mark the occasion without going over the top,” he said. The North Royalton Chamber of Commerce will also be celebrating this year, as they have been in existence for one hundred years.
North Royalton was founded in 1818, breaking away from the jurisdiction of Brecksville. One of the early settlers, Knight Sprague, named the township after his native town in Vermont, Royalton, although, the name was changed to North Royalton because of another town in Ohio, which had the same name. It was then incorporated as a village in 1927 and then as a city in 1961.
According to Chamber officials, the North Royalton Chamber of Commerce “was founded in 1918 for the purpose of advancing and developing the commercial, industrial, civic, cultural and general interests of the city and its trade area. Businesses in the areas of manufacturing, retail, professional, and service trades are joined as a dedicated group of civic-minded business leaders who care about North Royalton and strive toward its positive growth and development.”
The festivities associated with the Bicentennial have been thought about for some time. “We started talking about it at our service club meetings about three months ago,” said Stefanik. A committee had been formed, which represents these clubs, with North Royalton City Council President, Larry Antoskiewicz chairing the committee. The organizations represented include the North Royalton Chamber of Commerce, the North Royalton Historical Society, North Royalton School District, North Royalton Community Band, the North Royalton Garden Club, The Royalton Hills Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, and the North Royalton Alumni Association.
At this time, the proposed kick-off of the celebration will start the weekend of July 28 and 29 with a city-wide sidewalk sale. “We have some very enthusiastic businesses that are really interested in doing some things,” said Antoskiewicz. The annual Pet Carnival, sponsored by the North Royalton Animal Hospital, will take place that Sunday, July 29.
The following weekend will be highlighted with a Bicentennial Ball, scheduled for Saturday, August 4 at Carrie Cerino’s Ristorante and Party Center, which is being sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The following day, Sunday, August 5, a Picnic in the Park is planned for Memorial Park, where all residents will be invited. Antoskiewicz said that there will be some type of food and activities, but the specifics of the day have yet to be hammered out. What he sees is where residents “come and go throughout the day, maybe come for a picnic and then maybe come back for the movie.” In case of inclement weather, the option of having a concert at the High School is being planned as a backup. A concert during the day and a movie at dusk is being discussed to cap off that day.
The following weekend, August 10-12, the annual North Royalton Community Festival will take place, pushed up from the end of the month, which takes place on the city’s green. That weekend will conclude with fireworks on Sunday night, which is predicted to be the largest display ever!
August 18 will conclude the festivities, with the annual Old Timers Banquet, where the Royalton Hills Lions host those residents, age 70 and more, who have lived in North Royalton for at least thirty years.
“As time goes on, we will have more definitive plans,” said Antoskiewicz.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer