Join us Saturday, December 6, 2025, 1 pm on Akron’s 200th birthday, at historic Perkins Square, as we mark our city’s 200th anniversary in this special ceremony!
The City of Akron will conclude the celebration of its founding 200 years ago by coming “full circle,” and ending the year where city founder General Simon Perkins launched the City at the Summit in 1825.
Closing ceremonies sponsored by the Akron Bicentennial Commission will take place Saturday, December 6 at 1:00pm at Perkins Square on the Children’s Hospital campus at the corner of West Bowery and West Exchange streets in the amphitheater outside the Kay Jewelers Pavilion. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the auditorium of the Considine Professional Building.
“This location is meaningful,” says Dave Lieberth, Executive Secretary of the Commission, “It is described as the ‘Public Square’ on the original plat of Akron created by Joshua Henshaw in the summer of 1825.” Perkins, a surveyor for the Erie Land Company who came to the Western Reserve as a 27-year-old, carved out property for himself that would become modern-day Akron. With Paul Williams, a farmer who owned land near the intersection of today’s Broadway and Buchtel, the pair filed the plat for the town of Akron at the Portage County courthouse on December 6, 1825. The town’s name comes from the Greek, akros, meaning “high point “or “summit.”
The closing ceremony will feature remarks from local historians and government officials. Mayor Shammas Malik will unveil a new logo for the City. The initiative was introduced a year ago and garnered public comments on a variety of options presented by local artists and designers.
Additionally, awards will be announced to participants in the year-long Akron Marathon Bicentennial Wellness Challenge that allowed residents of all ages and ability levels to set their own personal wellness goals by completing 200 wellness activities, including biking, hiking, swimming, strength Training or other activities.
To close out the year, submissions will be accepted for the Bicentennial Time Capsule to be opened in the year 2050. Families may provide letters, essays or photos to be included in the capsule. Submissions will be accepted during the month of December at Lock 3 and at the Summit County Historical Society office behind the Perkins Mansion, Wednesdays – Saturdays from 1-4 pm. The Bicentennial Commission unveiled contents in July of a previous time capsule created for the 2000 Centeseptequinary. The 25-year-old memories are archived with the Summit County Historical Society.
“Saturday is an opportunity for families to discover all the historic markers, monuments and exhibits in Downtown Akron,” says Lieberth. “A good place to start is the Akron History Center that features 62 exhibits, 30 flat video screens, 22 PowerPoints, and 150 artifacts on display.” The Center, located at 172 South Main – adjacent to Lock 3 and the Civic Theatre – will be open 10am – 2pm on December 6.
Click HERE to read the full press release, including a historic walking tour of landmarks, monuments, and markers in Downtown Akron prepared by the Akron History Center.