Harford County celebrating 250 years; Bringing community together

REESE SHOWALTER, Sports Editor

     Harford County is celebrating its 250 year. There are tons of events and specialty items all year from our local businesses to celebrate Harford County, along with other events that Harford 250 is putting together.

     There will be a Harford 250 showcase on March 31 and April 1. 

     On March 31, in the APGFCU Arena there will be a first-look event. This is a “ticketed event with speakers, music, displays by community organizations, art display, beer, wine, and light refreshments,” according to Harford 250’s website.

     On April 1, also in the APGFCU Arena, there will be a Family Fun Day that is “open to the public – community displays, performances by local musicians, singers, dancers, food sales, judging of displays and artworks, oral history, and an award ceremony,” also according to Harford 250’s  website. 

     This is the main event for the celebration, but there are many other events throughout the rest of the year.

     Senior Valorie Radel said, “I didn’t know that it was Harford County’s 250 year, but it is pretty cool that they are doing a bunch of stuff to celebrate. I think it is cool because some people have lived in Harford County their whole lives and get to celebrate this anniversary.”

     Also on the Harford 250 website, it gives a history of how Harford County was founded. “In the early 1770s, residents and business people who lived around the mid-and upper Chesapeake Bay were frustrated with how long it took to travel to Baltimore Town to serve on juries and to conduct other business. Soon, representatives filed a petition in Annapolis to establish a new jurisdiction called Harford County.

     Harford 250 is also releasing an anthology. “More than 112 people from all over Harford contributed their written memories of life in the 20th and 21st centuries here. The Harford 250 Anthology will be available for sale around January 2023. In the Harford 250 Anthology, you will read about people who shaped Harford County, in the words of residents and their families,” says their website.

     On the website, there are also pictures of Harford County’s past and present lined up next to each other. These pictures show what places around Harford County looked like 250 years ago and what they look like now. There are pictures from Jarrettsville, Edgewood, Havre de Grace, Bel Air, Fountain Green, Aberdeen, and Forest Hill.