175 and counting: Aurora to mark milestone with a year's worth of events

One party is usually enough to celebrate the average birthday.

But turning 175?

Clearly that calls for more, say officials planning celebrations to commemorate Aurora's 175th year.

Monthly ethnic food parties, exhibits on history and architecture, a house walk and reprints of two publications all will be part of a year of anniversary events, said John Jaros, executive director of the Aurora Historical Society.

“We felt like an exhibit was a very important thing, a comprehensive exhibit of Aurora history,” Jaros said.

The exhibit will open in May at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center, the same month as the first Flavors of Aurora ethnic food event and the opening of a second exhibit, “From the Ground Up: A History of Architecture in Aurora.”

The city's official anniversary is March 2, set to mark the date in 1837 when Aurora's post office was established and the town first was recognized in writing, Jaros said. This year on March 2, the historical society will host a reception and allow participants to use a special postage cancellation stamp that will be designed for the occasion, he said.

The historical society is leading efforts to plan events for the 175th year. Other groups, such as Aurora city government, the Fox Valley Park District, churches, school districts and nonprofit organizations will join in planning and hosting festivities as well.

“The city is able to pull all of these groups together and try to build the enthusiasm,” city spokesman Kevin Stahr said. “We view it here as we're trying to celebrate a milestone, and it also creates an opportunity to work together with these different organizations. We're really hoping to infuse a lot of new energy to the traditions Aurora has developed throughout the past 175 years.”

The city is planning a Bridge Bash for Feb. 3 to re-create a historical photo taken when the bridges that carry Downer Place over the Fox River and Stolp Island were new. The 105-year-old bridges now are set for replacement in the months after the event.

While the Bridge Bash will be a special event this year, the city will blend the 175th anniversary into annual occurrences like its Arbor Day program and holiday parades.

“We want to take every opportunity we can to celebrate the 175th,” Mayor Tom Weisner said. “There are a lot of things we do normally year to year, but we want to make them a little bit special this year and remind people of where we've been and really talk a little bit about where we're going.”

Instead of focusing on established events, the historical society is adding some new gatherings and reviving others, including a house walk planned for September, Jaros said.

Aside from planning celebrations and displaying history in photos and artifacts, the historical society wants to learn about the nearly 200,000 people who call Aurora home.

“We're also interested in people's own stories, so that we're looking for things like the oldest people in town, the people who have lived here the longest,” Jaros said. “We're looking for family information — has your family been here 100 years? 150 years? We're seeking to find that out and just to collect information and get people involved.”

Two publications set to be reprinted can increase interested residents' knowledge of Aurora's back story.

The historical society plans to republish “The Reminiscences of the Grandmothers,” an 1892 book containing the written memoirs of Aurora's early pioneer women. The new edition will have more photos and biographical information about the women featured in the book and their families, Jaros said.

An 1890 book called “Aurora Illustrated,” containing scores of historical photos taken in Aurora, will have its second reprinting this year as well.

Weisner said the books he's read about Aurora's past make it clear the city always has been a place that lets people create new possibilities for themselves.

“It just continues, from Day One until now, of being a place where people come to create a new life and a successful life and create opportunities for their families and their kids.”

Jaros said he hopes a year of looking back on the city's journey from a small mill town to Illinois' second-largest city will put history in the forefront of residents minds.

“What we hope would happen is this creates an interest,” he said, “sparks an interest in history and a curiosity that research may continue well after this year.