As part of the Ohio Bicentennial events, the world’s most ambitious bell-casting project will visit the 2003 Troy Strawberry Festival, as Miami County’s Bicentennial Bell will be cast on Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7. 

The “foundry on wheels” will be set up in the parking lot at the rear of the Miami County Safety Building in downtown Troy.  The Verdin Company of Cincinnati will produce the bell in the handmade, centuries old, European tradition during a 2-day “out-in-the-open” public event coinciding with the Strawberry Festival.  In the days of old, the bells were cast close by a structure that would become their permanent home to minimize the high cost or difficulty of transportation.

The furnace lighting ceremony begins at 2:00 p.m. on Friday along with the passing of the bronze ingots.  While the furnace is heating, a personalized bell mold is being prepared.  The mold is contained in a box called a flask made of steel and weighs more than 500 pounds.  At 5:00 p.m., the actual “pouring” of the molten bronze, heated to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit is poured into the mold.  Using a specially designed crane, bell casters will transfer the molten metal first into a ladle and then into the mold.  The bell is then left to cool overnight, concluding the first day of bell casting.  The timing and process of pouring the molten metal must be perfect or the resulting bell will be imperfect or incomplete. 

On Saturday at noon, a mold-breaking ceremony will take place.  The mold composed of hardened sand and resin will be ceremoniously broken with a 16-pound sledgehammer, exposing the solid bell.  Craftsmen of the Verdin Company will then spend the next four hours sandblasting and polishing the bell to a high shine in full view of the public.  Some sections are treated with stain and polished again to produce a unique look. 

At 5:00 p.m., members of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission will officially present the bell to the Miami County Commissioners in a dedication ceremony marked by the initial ringing of the bell.  Following the dedication, the public will be invited to ring the bell.

“It’s a gift to all of Miami County,” says Diana Thompson, Chairperson of the Miami County Bicentennial Committee, “from the Ohio Bicentennial Commission as a remembrance of Ohio’s first 200 years.”

The Bicentennial Bell is molded in the “American” style of the Liberty Bell.  It will display the bicentennial logo, the Great Seal of Ohio, the forging date, and have the words Miami County inscribed on it.    

Stephen C. George, executive director of the Bicentennial Commission, said that 200 years ago, as the Northwest Territory opened, there was a great need for bells in Ohio schools, courthouses and churches.  “Bells no longer order our lives as in years past, but they continue to inspire,” George said.  “This project, while re-establishing the tradition of early bell-founders, guarantees a lasting Bicentennial legacy for the generations that follow.”

Bicentennial bells also provide a thematic tribute to the state’s manufacturing and industrial roots.  In planning the ambitious project, the Commission enlisted the world’s largest bell company.  The Verdin Company, in business since 1842, has provided bells and ringing equipment to more than 30,000 churches.  Verdin commissions include the 3-ton, 12-foot-tall World Peace Bell for the millennium celebration, the famed “Big Ben” in London and the San Juan Capistrano mission bells.

The Ohio Bicentennial Commission and the Verdin Company will be kept busy throughout the summer and early fall with the bells for the remaining 33 counties before completing the three year project with the Franklin County bell at the State House in Columbus on October 24 and 25.

Each Bicentennial bell weighs approximately 250 pounds and stands about 2 feet tall.  Twelve bronze ingots each weighing about 40 pounds are used in each bell.  Any remaining metal is remelted and used in the next bell.  The ingots are an alloy of 80 percent copper and 20 percent tin.  The metal is melted into molten liquid in two to three hours. 

“Casting bells in all 88 counties will allow Ohioans to experience first-hand the old-world craftsmanship,” said company President Jim Verdin, a fifth-generation bell maker. 

Other area Ohio bell-casting dates include:

Celina Lake Festival – Mercer County – July 26 & 27

Champaign County Fair – Urbana – August 2 & 3

Riverscape Music Festival in Dayton – Montgomery County – August 9 & 10

Heritage Days in Bellefontaine – Logan County – September 13 & 14

For more information about the Ohio Bicentennial events, visit the web site at http://www.Ohio200.com.