BRUNSWICK — A village meeting that lasted into the wee hours 50 years ago delayed the for­mation of the city.

According to an Oct. 3, 1960, Gazette story, the leaders of the village of Brunswick Hills chose Oct. 1 as the official day to become a city. But a town meeting the night of Sept. 30 ran past mid­night, so the changeover couldn’t happen because a village meeting was still in session.

The Brunswick Lake Park will feature an arch built and provided by Justice & Co. on Pearl Road in Brunswick Hills Township. The actual arch will be unveiled Oct. 10 as part of Brunswick’s 50th birthday celebration. (ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED)

The city’s first official day thus became Oct. 2, 1960.

In the ensuing 50 years, Brunswick Area His­torical Society Vice President Amber Dalakas said the city has changed plenty.

“We were a farming community 50 years ago,” Dalakas said. “We’ve turned into a suburb of Cleveland. I think we only have a few farms left here in Brunswick.”

Dalakas said she grew up primarily in Cleve­land, and she and her friends used to go camping in Brunswick before she moved to the city in 1973.

“We used to drive out to the country to camp at Brunswick Lake and Sleepy Hollow Lake,” Dalakas said. “I miss all the open space.”

While there’s more concrete in Brunswick since she moved here, Dalakas said the school system has kept families in the area.

“A lot of people who have grown up here have raised their kids here,” she said. “We have a lot of three- or four­-generation Brunswick fami­lies here.”

As for the next 50 years, Dalakas said she hopes to see the economic growth of the city continue with the ulti­mate goal being a stable, fam­ily- friendly community.

To celebrate its birthday, Mayor Gary Werner said the city will celebrate in style.

Werner and Parks and Recreation Director John Piepsny announced Thursday at a press conference a variety of activities planned for the celebration, which will over­lap with Brunswick’s Heritage Days.

“As you would expect from a city as vibrant as ours, we have lots of activities planned,” Werner said.

Heritage Days runs from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 2 and 3 at Heritage Farm, a 32-acre his­torical farm located on Laurel Road and home to the Brunswick Area Historical Society.

The event will include pio­neer music and games, photo­graphs of Brunswick’s past and activities for all ages.

The city’s Commemorative Affairs Board is working to bring together former City Council members and mayors for a group photograph dur­ing Heritage Days. The photo will go with other items into a time capsule that will be opened at the city’s centen­nial celebration in 2060.

The celebration continues the following weekend, begin­ning with a Dream, Design, Donate Gala Oct. 8 hosted by Justice & Co., a full-service design center located at 2462 Pearl Road in Brunswick Hills Township.

The gala will be from 6 to 9 p.m. in the design showroom and will showcase architec­turally inspired fashion pieces by Virginia Marti College inte­rior and fashion design stu­dents.

The night’s festivities include a runway fashion show along with culinary cre­ations by Brunswick resident Richard Cicic of the Madd Chef.

“I think it’s going to be some of the best hors d’oeuvres I’ve ever created,” Cicic said at the press conference.

Limited tickets for the event are $85 and can be purchased at the Brunswick Recreation and Fitness Center, 3637 Cen­ter Road.

On Oct. 9, the recreation center is hosting a Health and Wellness Expo from 9 a.m. to noon.

On Oct. 10, Justice & Co. takes center stage again as it presents its contribution to the newly named Brunswick Lake Park. The company is designing and building a 12­foot-high, cedar and cast iron archway for the entrance to the park.

Company owner James Jus­tice said Piepsny approached him about creating the arch.

“We are honored to be a part of this project,” Justice said.

He said the arch will be an “impressive focal point” for the park and could even be a site for wedding ceremonies.

A granite medallion featur­ing an image of Brunswick will be surrounded by commemo­rative bricks that can be pur­chased by members of the community.

Sixty bricks are available for purchase for $150 until Sept. 24 through the Brunswick Area Chamber of Commerce with funds going back to Jus­tice & Co. to pay for the mate­rials. Each brick will be sand­blasted with the donating company’s or individual’s name.

Kicking off at 11 a.m. Oct. 10 at the Winking Lizard is the “Hearts for the Arts” 5k race, which will pass through Towne Center and Brunswick Lake Park. The cost to partici­pate is $20 for walkers or run­ners. Pets are welcome at the back of the race.

The race ends back at the Winking Lizard, where an after-race party will be held. All racers will receive a com­plimentary sandwich and fries, sponsored by the restau­rant, as well as a T-shirt. An outdoor patio concert also is planned.

The celebratory weekend ends Oct. 10 with a Green Expo by the Brunswick Green Advisory Group at the recre­ation center from noon to 3 p.m. It will feature displays, demonstrations and talks related to the latest informa­tion on renewable resources throughout the world.

Contact Jennifer Pignolet at (330) 721-4063 or jpignolet@medina-gazette.com.