Meet Your Neighbor: Reenactor to kick off Clyde Museum's season
CLYDE - The Clyde Museum will kick off the 2023 season with a return visit from reenactor Kenneth Hammontree of Ashland on March 14. Hammontree will portray early pioneer and woodsman Simon Kenton, the namesake of Kenton, Ohio. The museum will officially open for the season on March 30.
Hammontree drew a large crowd last year with his portrayal of Johnny Appleseed, and this year’s Simon Kenton event promises to be equally educational.
“Kenton was instrumental in a lot of the settling of Ohio and Kentucky,” said Clyde Museum Curator Gene Smith.
Although Kenton didn’t have direct ties to Clyde, the program will help highlight the museum’s pioneer exhibit, which features Clyde’s rich early history.
March 14 program to highlight pioneer times in Ohio
“Before people settled here, it was the Great Black Swamp. It was rugged country,” Smith said. “The Wyandot came here to Clyde in the summer to harvest maple syrup, and then they’d return to their permanent settlement near downtown Fremont. We’d like to highlight some of that pioneer history of Ohio.”
The Simon Kenton program will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The Clyde Museum’s annual meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 11. The meeting will feature a presentation on the history of the Sandusky County Park District beginning at 7 p.m. in honor of the park district’s 50th anniversary.
Smith will present a program on Thaddeus B. Hurd, the founder of the Clyde Heritage League, at 6:30 p.m. May 9.
Music on the Lawn planned for June 16
New this year is “A Night of Music on the Lawn” featuring the Chris Buzzelli Quartet at 6 p.m. June 16.
“Chris Buzzelli was an instructor of music at Bowling Green State University. He does all kinds of music, from classical to soft jazz. He’ll play soft jazz for our program,” Smith said. “People should bring their own lawn chairs, and we’ll serve snacks.”
Other upcoming programs will feature Clyde play publisher Albert Ames; the history of the Sandusky River; the connection between Sherwood Anderson and Ernest Hemingway; a tour of St. Mary’s Cemetery, and the annual Winesburg Weekend.
“We have a whole lineup of events from March through November,” Smith said. “We’re excited to restart the season.”
New exhibits at the museum this year include the recently acquired Elmore Bike and a display of Lake Shore Electric Interurban Railway memorabilia donated by the widow of the late Bob Lorenz, a well-known local train artist. The Lake Shore Electric traveled through Clyde on its way across the top of the state.
“At one time, it was the largest interurban railway in the United States,” Smith said. “It’s how people got to work, visited family and friends, and went to the grocery store. It was your basic transportation before the onset of cars.”
Clyde Museum is at 124 W. Buckeye St. For more information, visit the Clyde Museum and General McPherson House Facebook page or call 419-547-7946.
Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Clyde Museum's 2023 season to kick off with Simon Kenton reenactor
