Bexley, Ohio. Bexley Centennial Stakes.

The Bexley Centennial is being celebrated in calendar year 2008.

The WCRX-LP Editorial Collective offered the following proposal to the Bexley Chamber of Commerce as three projects that are appropriate to commemorate the Bexley Centennial.

The proposal was rejected politely by the president of the Chamber as being too aggressive.

The following are the three concepts selected by the Editorial Collective as appropriate commemorative projects.

o Establish a commemorative horse race and prize (say $100,000) for the winning stable. The race will be run at one of the local Bexley parks or nearby City of Columbus parks. There will be parimutuel betting.

o Work with the Ohio Lottery Commission to establish a commemorative lottery game. Most of the proceeds will be paid to the Bexley public school system. The game will be a model for the lottery commission to market to other school systems to use on appropriate centennial celebrations.

o Do the ground work to establish eligibility for an Indian gambling casino along the western banks of Alum Creek. Seek the assistance of state and local historical societies to locate tribal lands along Alum Creek.

The concepts really are appropriate for a municipal centennial commemoration. The lottery is a revenue source for public schools and the Bexley Public Schools are central to life in Bexley. A horse race is appropriate because it reflects the agricultural beginnings of the organized Bexley community. There are several Bexley houses that are farm houses from the time period when the neighborhood was farmland.

There were horse races in a park in Eastmoor in the early part of the twentieth century. And nearby Driving Park has some association with horses.

Finally, the proposal for an Indian casino is evocative of the early inhabitants, the early history and pre-history of this geographic territory. All of these allusions are appropriate for a centennial commemoration.

Looking at some of the specifics:

o Offer $100,000 stakes for a horse race (thoroughbred or harness) to celebrate the centennial of the City of Bexley. The race will be called “The City of Bexley Stakes” or “City of Bexley Centennial Stakes” or some similar name.

o Location of the race will be Jeffrey Mansion park (A City of Bexley park) or Driving Park (a City of Columbus park), Franklin Park Conservatory (a City of Columbus park) or Wolf Park (a City of Columbus park).

o Parimutuel gambling permitted at the park.

o Number of horses limited.

o Entry fee for each horse of $5,000 for the main race.

o One, two or three preliminary races with lower entry fees and lower stakes.

o Race might be run once every three or five years.


General note: There might have been racing at a field in Eastmoor. Same as to Driving Park.

General note: Harness racing used to be a state fair event. The grand stand now used for entertainment shows at the state fair was the location for the harness racing. These races continue but the venue is now at Scioto Downs. The races are identified as state fair events. A representative of the Ohio governor attends the races. The representative is usually an assistant director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

General note: What legislators and committee chairmen will want to be the first to know?

Lottery commemorative game, portion of proceeds benefit Bexley schools

o Ticket named “Bexley Spot One Hundred”

o Sold for a full year with instant prizes of $100.

o Annual drawing promises up to $100 million. It is a centennial after all.

o Large portion of proceeds go to Bexley public schools.

o Lottery commission gets to use the product for other school districts on appropriate anniversaries.

General note: What legislators and committee chairmen will want to be the first to know?

Indian casino gambling

o Identify local Native American tribes who inhabited eastern and western banks of Alum Creek.

o Identify real estate developers, Native American tribes and other casino operators interested in casino gambling.

Comments are welcome at:

EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE
BEXLEY PUBLIC RADIO FOUNDATION
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, LOCAL POWER RADIO
BEXLEY 98.3 FM
2700 E. MAIN ST., SUITE 208
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43209
EMAIL WCRXLP@YAHOO.COM
VOICE (614) 235 2929
FAX (614) 235 3008