This year, the City of Hobart turned 100 and the celebration started with cake, like all great birthday parties do. The city plans to host a myriad of new activities mixed in with old favorites throughout the year to truly honor this centennial celebration. There will be a few surprise events happening, so keep checking the calendar for updates in the coming months.
Nikki Lopez, event director for the City of Hobart, expressed her excitement for the centennial, specifically in regards to the planning process of keeping the celebration going all year round with different opportunities. Some examples for these opportunities include citizens submitting ideas for the time capsule and also having local high school students design the new flag for the City of Hobart.
“We are really excited to see the great artwork from our school district for the flag designs,” Lopez stated. “Mayor Snedecor put out a fun challenge to the school art departments to create a new Hobart flag.”
Mayor Brian Snedecor mirrored these sentiments, emphasizing how having community involvement will only add to the excitement of the city’s birthday.
“I am thrilled to involve the community to participate in the centennial celebration through things like designing a new Hobart flag and submitting items to the time capsule,” said Mayor Snedecor. “This is a celebration for everyone who has made this community what it is, and that is something for which I am very proud.”
In July there will be an announcement with submission guidelines for anyone who is interested in submitting an item to the time capsule. The items will be chosen by a committee and there will be an official ceremony in October when the capsule will be buried.
“Looking back at a community the age of Hobart, I feel so honored and humbled to serve as mayor during this snapshot in time,” Snedecor shared. “I want to be able to give back to the residents what they have given me. This isn’t about me doing this for the city, it is about everyone pulling together to celebrate this great city and show their pride for where they live.”
Lopez spoke about the traditional events the city hosts every year and mentioned that there will be some new twists to these old favorites, such as new food trucks at Summer Market on The Lake, which starts on May 27 and will continue every Thursday throughout the summer.
“All our events will be themed around the centennial celebration. We want to keep traditional events going because we know people look forward to them every year, but now they will just have a bit of a twist,” Lopez said. “We will continue to follow the same guidelines we did last year for COVID-19 to keep people socially distanced and still have a great summer full of fun activities. I am especially excited about the live music line-up. We plan to have Lee Bryce on June 5, so everyone should mark their calendars.”
Snedecor spoke about the Hobart residents with affection. He stated that he and his team continue to build a great place for people to want to live by hosting such amazing events and making improvements to the city parks and commerce. He complimented the community as strong citizens who have great family values and continue to support one another.
“I want to pay respect to all those who have come before us; because of them, we are here today. This is the best time for everyone to come together and celebrate. 100 years is a long time, we should celebrate that,” Snedecor stated.
The city’s history starts in 1921 when the area was reincorporated into a city by English Immigrant George Earle. Earle constructed a dam on Deep River to power the first saw and gristmills in the area, and this created what is now known today as Lake George. Several years after the settlement of the area, Earle named the city “Hobart” after his brother.
The city continues to grow and prosper and has annexations throughout the years. It is one of Lake County’s oldest communities and is the home to many famous Hoosiers like Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court Brent Dickson, Professional MMA Fighter Darren Elkins, and NFL Offensive Lineman Craig Osika, who played for the San Francisco 49ers and is now coaching the Brickies at Hobart High School.
To stay connect to the city and find out more information about the centennial celebrations, visit http://cityofhobart.org/. The page’s calendar will be updated regularly.
