T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA A yard sign promoting the 75 anniversary event that the Warren Township Park will be hosting on September 7.

YORKVILLE — The Warren Township Park is set to host its 75th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 7.

The celebration will run from 2 p.m to 8 p.m. and include multiple craft vendors, live music provided by Zane Run and The Muddle, food vendors, face painting, inflatables, balloon twister, pickleball, volleyball, and a basket raffle. The Memorial Pool that is located at the park will also hold a free swim for anyone in attendance.

Buckeye Local High School will host a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for the more athletic patrons in attendance.

“We’re going to have food, games, t-shirts for sale, bounce houses, free swim, the fire department is bringing their fire trucks, the library is bringing its bookmobile, we have a lot of local businesses participating,” clerk/treasurer of Warren Township Park Mary Ann Russell said.

Russell added that all of the churches in the Yorkville and Rayland area are helping with the event by either donating or volunteering.

The Warren Township Park Board has been working on putting on the 75th anniversary event for an entire year. The board is a completely volunteer-based four-person group made up of Clerk/Treasurer Mary Ann Russell, Park Board Chairman Joe Malechowski, and board members Tami Horvath and Rosie Thomas.

“It’s hard because we don’t have a lot of people, but we do have a couple of volunteers for the day of the event,” Thomas said.

The committee will sell t-shirts with names of all of the former businesses in Yorkville as a way to honor and celebrate the history of Yorkville and raise funds for the park. Russell added that she believes almost every local business in the Yorkville area will be either setting up as a vendor at the event or sponsoring the event by donating money. The board will also dedicate a plaque at Shelter 2 during the event honoring all past board members. Almost all of the funding for the park comes from a combination of grants that Malechowski submits the park for, a GoFundMe page that residents can donate to, and an operating levy.

“It’s more of a community service to have a public pool than it is to make any money,” Malechowski said.

He added that although the park is named the Warren Township Park, it isn’t owned by Warren Township.

“When the park was organized in 1949, the three original residents went together to petition the court to take a plot of property that I think was three different farms that were put together and they organized it so that it was to be between both towns for public use.” Malechowski added. “We’re not funded by the township at all. We’re funded by what we bring in for our operating levy and what we bring in throughout the season from rentals and pool entry.”

Those interested in renting the Warren Township Park can call Thomas at 304-280-5518 or Malechowski at 740-275-6404 or email the board at wtppark@yahoo.com.

In addition to the 75th anniversary event, the park will host a Pooch Plunge on Sept. 8. The plunge is where the park allows people to bring their dogs for a swim to end the summer.

“It’s the last day we’re allowed to put anybody in the pool,” Malechowski said.

Another event the park will host is its Trunk-Or-Treat on Oct. 20.