Kirby Day to provide family fun at Richfield Heritage Preserve

Kirby Day to provide family fun at Richfield Heritage Preserve

RICHFIELD, Ohio — Join the Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve in celebrating Kirby Day on Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Richfield Heritage Preserve, 3771 Oviatt Road.

This year’s theme is “Fishing Friends.” The free, family-friendly event, held rain or shine, will be at the south end of Richfield Heritage Preserve.

The day will feature fishing lessons, children’s activities and crafts, games, ice block sledding and STEM-related challenges. Refreshments, including grilled hot dogs/bratwurst, chips and root beer floats, will be offered for a donation.

The event honors the legacy of Jim Kirby, a prolific inventor and avid fisherman. Richfield Heritage Preserve, now a 336-acre public park, was once Kirby’s home. His multi-level Swiss chalet style home, one-of-a-kind Garfield Hall (a dance hall he built on streetcar springs) and the mill he constructed to produce hydroelectric power for his home and workshop still stand on the property.

Kirby was also an avid fisherman and created two lakes (the upper lake known as Lake Linnea and the lower lake known as Lake Jinelle) on his property — which he stocked with fish.

Catch and release fishing from the shore is still available at both lakes.

The Friends are continuing to raise funds to complete the restoration of Kirby’s iconic mill, built in 1922, as well as to help restore and preserve other historic structures on the property.

They have also established an endowment fund with the Akron Community Foundation for future programming and park building maintenance.

For further information about the Friend and for any event updates, visit friendsofrhp.org or call 330-659-4750.

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