Supervisor Reilich is thrilled to join the Greece Town Board members, Town employees, and every resident in the Town of Greece in celebrating our great Town’s Bicentennial Anniversary! The Town is celebrating this significant milestone with a variety of events and services for residents that commemorate our two hundred year history and progress as a town and community. March 22, 2022 marks the two-hundred-year anniversary of the Town of Greece. Originally called Northampton, the town was named after the country of Greece, which was fighting a war of independence from Turkish rule. We look forward to celebrating Greece’s rich history as one of the largest municipalities in New York State.
One of the many celebratory services we released is the Town of Greece’s Bicentennial Historic Resources Survey. The survey is an online, living archive of maps, images, information and historical narratives documenting Greece’s heritage in an accessible format that is easy to navigate for people of all ages. The survey is maintained by the Town Historian and utilized to share the highlights of our history that have contributed to Greece being the great town and community it is today. The survey link can be found here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7a414722fef745efb0fddfad4af0bdf3
We also published a commemorative 2022 calendar in celebration of the Town’s 200 year anniversary, complete with photographs submitted by the community. We received many submissions of historical photographs that depict the long and rich history of the Town of Greece. Thank you to those who took the time to submit photographs! Photographs were organized in a calendar format and offer a window into the past and a view of the treasured elements of our narrative, as told and seen by the residents who lived it. The collection of photographs serves to both memorialize and honor that story and may our tale continue to be celebrated by our residents long into the future. Calendars were available to residents in late 2021 thru early 2022.
As we entered 2021 last year, Supervisor Bill Reilich invited Greece Town residents to submit original renderings for the official logo to be used on all official literature, documentation and social media relating to the Town’s plan to celebrate this historic event. We want to again thank every person who created and submitted a logo idea, and congratulations again to Sarah Pearlman Ventura for her design being chosen to be the featured logo!
March 25, 2021 marked the Country of Greece’s 200th year of independence. In honor of this significant anniversary on Thursday, March 25th, 2021, the Town of Greece exhibited a special display in the service mall area of Greece Town Hall. The national flag of Greece that was presented by Mr. Quick during the Deputy Minister of Greece’s visit in 2016 was flown on the Greece Town Hall Campus and at dusk, the night sky was lit blue as we stood in celebration alongside much of the world, which also joined in this historic recognition. In addition, we prepared a proclamation that was sent to the Prime Minister on behalf of all of the residents of the Town of Greece.
Throughout the year, you will see all Town of Greece official vehicles sporting the 200th year anniversary logo! From DPW equipment, electric vehicles, Parks Department trucks, and Greece Police Department cars and SUV’s, all are proudly displaying the bicentennial logo in recognition of our Town’s milestone birthday.
Finally, we launched a 200-year anniversary time capsule! Greece residents were encouraged to submit suggestions of items to be included in the time capsule that will be enjoyed by future residents! Later this spring we will be placing a fifty year time capsule on the Town Hall campus! It will include artifacts recommended by our residents in response to the survey given last fall. There were so many great suggestions! Stay tuned for a date announcing the placement and sealing of the time capsule.
“Keep on the lookout for additional events and services this year that will highlight this momentous occasion!” said Supervisor Reilich. “Later this month, we will be announcing a very popular national act that will be joining us for our concert series at this year’s Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration. Events this year will have a little something for everyone!”