Streetsboro celebrates its bicentennial with craft beer festival and vintage baseball

Streetsboro has been celebrating its bicentennial these past few months with a slate of activities including community cookouts, parades, a time capsule excavation and burial, and marathons.

On Saturday, the year's festivities will wind to a close at City Park — located at 8970 Kirby Lane — with the first Portage County Craft Beer Festival, presented by Leadership Portage County; and a vintage-style baseball game, played by rules developed in the mid-19th century, organized by Streetsboro's Bicentennial Committee.

Concessions will be provided by Brooks Homestyle BBQ and The Original Gyro Bob.

The beer festival is a ticketed event, while the baseball game is free for anyone to watch.

Beer festival tickets are $25 and includes a wristband, tasting glass and the first 10 samples. A VIP package is available for $75 and comes with a commemorative Craft Brewfest T-shirt, unique beers, early tastings, 20 samples, $10 food voucher and festival souvenir glass. Tickets are available online. Proceeds go to benefit Leadership Portage County.

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Gates open at noon for VIP ticket holders, and 1 p.m. for those with general admission tickets.

Close to a dozen craft breweries will be serving at the event, including Garrett's Mill Brewing, Bell Tower Brewing and North Water Brewing, as well as a number of breweries from surrounding areas.

The craft beer festival has been two years in the making, according to Leadership Portage County's Executive Director Kurt Ruehr. Due to pandemic restrictions, the festival didn't come to fruition last year. City officials have helped make the event a reality this year.

"Streetsboro's working with me. They're providing parks and rec at no cost, they're providing security through the police force, they're also helping out with some advertising. They've been a really great partner this year," Ruehr said, adding that he hopes to turn it into an annual event.

At 2 p.m. Richard Page, who, having lived in the city for 87 years, has the distinction of being the longest-residing citizen of Streetsboro, will throw out the first pitch for an old-fashioned game of baseball.

When we say "old-fashioned baseball game" we mean old, as in 160 years old. The game will be played by 1860s-era rules.

The Ohio Village Muffins baseball team of the Ohio History Connection will face off against a team of Streetsboro's finest, chosen by the bicentennial committee.

"We have a lot of the dignitaries from the city that are playing on the team," said Bicentennial Chair Mike Kuhstos. Members of the Chamber of Commerce, City Hall and City Council have all signed up to play, he said.

As was tradition in the 1860s, teams will consist of players from high school age to those in their 60s. The Muffins will provide an umpire who will explain the rules to the crowd.

According to Kuhstos, players will be dressed in period-appropriate uniforms that include shirts, ties and hats. The equipment used — bats, baseballs and bases — will be historically accurate as well.

"It's old-style baseball," he said, "so you're not using gloves — there's no baseball gloves, no batting gloves, nothing like that. No modern equipment."

Kuhstos added that it's his understanding that the ball is pitched underhanded, and that batters have to stand differently over the plate than they do in modern iterations of the sport.

A barbershop quartet from Akron called "Something Good" will be performing the national anthem at the beginning of the game. It'll also be performing a number of songs in between innings.

"Right now we are looking for another two to three players," Kuhstos added. "If anybody else is interested, they can contact me."

Those interested in playing vintage-style baseball can reach out to Kuhstos at mkuhstos@hotmail.com or (330) 221-6291

Contact reporter at Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Craft beer and vintage baseball at festival at Streetsboro's city park