But Miamisburg, the “Star City,” is not done partying. The birthday celebration lasts all week, leading up to a fireworks show next weekend, and there will be events honoring the milestone all year long.
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Miamisburg, which claims to be the only city with its name in the world, also is one-of-a-kind because of the friendliness of its residents, shopkeepers and community members, said Betty Whitaker, 80, who moved to Miamisburg from eastern Kentucky in 1958.
Whitaker’s daughter and son loved the community enough to stay and raise their families in their hometown, and today they live a mile away from mom.
Even after 55 years, Bonita Belton, Whitaker’s daughter, still loves her hometown because of what she describes as its enduring hospitality and how much revitalization has gone on downtown and other parts of the city, like along the riverfront.
The city’s downtown businesses district is irresistibly charming and unrecognizable compared to what it was decades ago, when it had fallen on hard times, Belton said.
“When you walk into an establishment in downtown Miamisburg, they greet you … like in the show ‘Cheers,’ where everyone knows your name,” she said.
Belton saw Disney’s “Cinderella” at the Plaza Theatre not long after it was released in the 1960s. Though the Plaza Theatre closed in 1968, it has been renovated and reopened in 2015.
Belton's daughter, Jesse, had her first kiss with her long-term boyfriend at the top of the Miamisburg Mound. Her family says she's a strong candidate as one of the best employees the Hamburger Wagon ever had.
What makes Miamisburg special is the “homey” feeling you get when you are in the downtown, which has unique shops, restaurants and experiences, said Jesse Belton, 25.
“Whether it’s the Hamburger Wagon or Ron’s, it’s something that you can only find here in Miamisburg,” said Jesse Belton.
Like the Whitakers, many Miamisburg families are third- or fourth-generation, and they expect future generations to stay as well.
The downtown business district has bistros, art galleries, bars, antique stores, and donut, bike, sandwich, thrift and coffee shops. There is also a new brewery district.
On Monday, Downtown Miamisburg Inc. will review proposals for the vacant Suttman building, located across from the Plaza Theatre.
The plan is to covert the upper levels into new housing and retail or commercial space on the ground floor, said Mike Fink, 60, a member of Downtown Miamisburg Inc.
And on Saturday, a new splash pad opened at Riverfront Park, just in time for the bicentennial festivities.
Riverfront Park is being developed in phases, with future plans for a permanent amphitheater and other attractions.
“Change is happening here in Miamisburg, and it’s all for the better,” Mike Fink said.
Mike and Ted Fink’s father, Ted Fink Sr., chaired the city’s 150th anniversary in 1968.
They said the event was not nearly as big, and it was held at Harmon Field. They say the size of the bicentennial celebration, and the fact that it’s centered around downtown and at Riverfront Park, speaks to how much the city has evolved.
Miamisburg still has the small town feeling, but downtown has become a destination and the list of things to do is much longer, Mike Fink said.
Mike and Ted have played a role in the changes. They renovated a building that was an old record store. It is now home to U! Creative. They also bought and renovated an old grocery store, which has become a consignment shop.
“You can sense the energy downtown,” Ted Fink said.
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