Traveling Back in Time: Zane’s Trace Commemoration

Zanesville,OH-  Zanesville residents can travel back in time during the Zane’s Trace Commemoration held at Putnam Landing.

The annual commemoration will kick off Friday, June 13 with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Don Mason. The commemoration will have activities and events including live music, historical demonstrations, food, arts and crafts, karaoke, games and wrestling.

“It seems like lately everybody wants to leave Zanesville. But back then, this was the big town,” said ZTC History Director Gary Allen. “Last year we did the riverboats. We were one of the prime destinations for travel and stuff. So, we have a unique history and it’s a story worth telling, and that’s what the commemoration is all about. ”

There will also be a parade at 10am Saturday, June 14 and a car show to end the celebration on Sunday. A new evet brought to the commemoration this year is the great out house race Friday evening, an event where participants will build their own outhouse and compete for the Golden Toilet Seat.

“There’ll be a team of three, one person in the outhouse, the door will be open they’ve got to put the toilet in there and they’ll be sitting on there and they’ll have toilet paper in there and such and there’ll be two people either pushing or pulling however they want, and it’s like a 300 foot track,” explained ZTC President Rick Buck. “Then at the end, we’ll have some people to help stop them so they don’t go down the road. ”

This year’s commemoration will focus on a crucial aspect of Zanesville’s History: Railroads. The first state railroad started in Zanesville and connected Ohio together from Zanesville to cities like Newark and Columbus.

submitted by WHIZ intern: Maddie Luebkert