By Randy McNutt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio will throw itself an $11 million birthday party in 2003, celebrating its bicentennial year from the Ohio River to Lake Erie with flair and pageantry that state officials hope will boost tourism and tax revenues during tough economic times.

Wagon trains, sailing ships and the birth of flight will play a big part in the celebration - designed to educate and entertain, and to spotlight the state's historic contributions.

Bicentennial events will begin officially on Statehood Day (March 1) and run through October, but local events will begin much earlier.

"The bicentennial will do a lot for Ohio's image," said Fred Stratmann, spokesman for the Ohio Bicentennial Commission in Columbus. "It will help make the country aware of Ohio's accomplishments. A number of important people come from Ohio, including John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. Even the actress Halle Berry. We'll have our day in the sun nationally."

This will not be a spur-of-the-moment party plan.

Before it's all over, the Bicentennial Commission will spend the equivalent of about $1 for each Ohioan and sponsor major tourist events across the state.

Plans for such large statewide gatherings with local connections have taken years to develop. Work started in 1996, when the commission started with only one employee, Stephen George, its executive director. Now, the commission employs 23 people who will work at least through November.

The bicentennial will produce more than a good time. It will encourage re-examination of Ohio's place in the nation and the world, educate people about the state's history, attract tourists to local events and emphasize the best of Ohio's culture and heritage.

This year alone, the commission will spend an estimated $4 million on bicentennial programs.

"We want to leave a legacy," Mr. George said.

The operating budget will come from the state's general fund and be significantly less than originally planned. (The estimated total spent on the bicentennial from 1996 through June 30, 2003, will be about $11 million. But come July 1, more money will be needed to close out the event.)

Initially, state officials talked about spending up to $22 million, but the recession forced them to reduce their support. "We've under-spent every year," said Mr. Stratmann. "We've been very conservative."

Eleven million dollars have gone a long way - from Portsmouth to Port Clinton and in between. In 1998, the commission launched several of its popular road programs, including the highly visible bicentennial logo barn paintings and historical markers. With a $100,000 grant from the Longaberger Legacy Initiative, about 240 markers have been installed in 81 counties.

This year brought the start of the traveling bicentennial bell program, in which the Verdin Co. of Cincinnati will cast one bell on location in each of Ohio's 88 counties. The program will end Oct. 24-25 at the Statehouse in Columbus.

Although the bicentennial's potential impact on tourism and corresponding tax revenues is impossible to determine, most officials believe it will help. Financially, Southwest Ohio will benefit because two bicentennial signature events will be held in Cincinnati and Dayton.

"Consider that the Dayton flight centennial alone is expected to draw 500,000 people," Mr. Stratmann said.

The bicentennial is built on five signature events, described by spokesman Lee Yoakum as "showcase attractions." They are:

The Path to Statehood: Bicentennial Wagon Train; June-July.

An old-fashioned wagon train will move northwest along the National Road (U.S. 40), from the Ohio River to Worthington to the Indiana border, re-creating the journey many early pioneers experienced in settling Ohio and points (Information: www.muleskinner.com) .

Inventing Flight: the Centennial Celebration, Dayton; July 3-20.

Dayton will celebrate its role in the birth and development of aviation and aerospace with a major program that will be scattered around town, from downtown Dayton to the U.S. Air Force Museum near Fairborn.

The event will include an air show, international blimp meet and programs that honor the men who started it all - the Wright Brothers. . (Information: www.inventingflight.com.)

Columbus Celebrates Ohio's Bicentennial; July 3-4.

The capital will celebrate with fireworks, a street festival, music and parades. It is expected to draw 300,000 visitors.

Celebration of Lake Erie Heritage: Ohio Bicentennial Tall Ships; July 9-20.

What Tall Stacks is to Cincinnati, Tall Ships is to Lake Erie's towns. The event will bring together the largest gathering of sailing vessels in Ohio since the 1800s, Mr. Yoakum said. They'll range in size from 45 to 200 feet, and be available for tours. Tall Stacks on the Ohio River; Oct. 15-19.

Cincinnati will celebrate the steamboat era with 20 riverboats from 15 cities and 11 states for five days of cruises and races and on-shore activities.

New exhibits this year include "The Passage to Freedom," which examines the work of slaves in building - and escaping on - the steamboats of America's inland river system; and "You Are the Ohio River," a biology and ecology program. (Information: www.tallstacks.com.)

"I know the bicentennial will be good for us," said Margaret Drexel of the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"During Inventing Flight and Tall Stacks, we'll have spillover for motel rooms in both directions, from Cincinnati and Dayton."

Like Ohio, Warren County will spend from March to October celebrating its own bicentennial. Butler County will also celebrate its 200th birthday.

"We want to make it something to remember," said Rhonda Freeze, Butler's bicentennial director. "It's an honor to celebrate it with Ohio's 200th."

When the bicentennial is over, Ohioans can say they celebrated No. 200 in style and with modesty. If their celebration accomplishes only one thing, it will resurrect some interest in what Ohio has meant to the nation.

"School programs have cut Ohio history, so a lot of children and even adults don't know who our first governor (Edward Tiffin) was or where our first capital (Chillicothe) was located," Ms. Drexel said. "And that's a shame.

"That's what is so nice about the bicentennial. It will contribute."

E-mail rmcnutt@enquirer.com

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