Historical Society Seeking 200 Bell Ringers to Celebrate Bicentennial

The Westlake Historical Society is putting out the call for bell-ringers to help dedicate the on Oct. 22.

The society is looking for one person to ring the “history bell” for each year in Westlake’s 200-year history.

“We call it the history bell at the historical society,” said President Lysa Stanon. “In 1976, throughout the U.S., every community was to ring a bell at 2 p.m. for the country’s bicentennial. This is the bell that was rung, so I thought, 'Why not bring it out for our bicentennial?'”

The "history bell" was originally part of a fire engine, and is now housed at .

Bell-ringers can be any age, and anyone with a connection to Westlake is welcome to choose a year for which to ring the bell.

“We’ve invited teachers, past mayors, all kinds of different people,” Stanton said. “I picked 2003 because it’s the year I moved to Westlake.”

The society is also encouraging residents to ring the bell for the year they were born.

“The whole premise is just to get people involved,” Stanton said. “We want to hear them tell their story.”

To sign up as a bell-ringer, or to recommend someone, contact the Westlake Historical Society at 440-721-1201 or westlakehistory@yahoo.com.