Fishers Celebrates 150th Anniversary with Self-Guided Sesquicentennial Trail
Writer / Kylee White
Photography Provided by the City of Fishers
This year, the City of Fishers is celebrating its 150th birthday with a Sesquicentennial Trail that invites residents of Fishers to take part in. The trail is family-friendly, and anyone who wants to participate can with the provided passports that are located around the city.
“The trail is a self-guided adventure around Fishers to various landmarks with cultural significance, historic significance or just community favorites that is available for adults and kids to enjoy,” says Stephanie Perry, assistant director of community and public relations for the City of Fishers.
Those who choose to take part in the trail can pick up their passport from the participating locations and visit the diverse stops throughout the city to learn more about Fishers and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the city. People can pick up a passport (both adult and kids versions) at the Fishers Parks front desk, the Hamilton East Public Library, the City Services Building, Ohanalulu in Fishers, Schoolhouse 7 Café or at Conner Prairie. The kids’ passport includes an activity book as well as 15 different stops for them to explore, while the adult passport has 29 different stops to visit that vary from landmarks to restaurants.
Both businesses and places that have helped build the history of Fishers are participating as stops. A stop that has historical significance might have old photos and information on why it’s important, and a business will have information on the special deal or menu item that they are offering for the trail.
“We have a variety of local businesses participating that have a special in honor of our 150th birthday,” Perry says. “Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is making a birthday blast ice cream that people can buy, Ohanalulu (formerly known as Ohana Donuts and Ice Cream) is making a 150th donut. Schoolhouse 7 is also participating, which is a coffee shop in a historic schoolhouse built in the 1900s, and they will be handing out a special gift for residents to enjoy. We really just have a huge variety of places for people to explore and learn about what makes Fishers unique.”
Lots of Fishers parks can also be found on the passport as a stop to make, each one with different aspects and history that make them unique.
“Fisher’s first park (Holland Park on the west side of Fishers) is a part of it, where kids can do a scavenger hunt. We have Flat Fork Creek on the east side, (which has the highest point in Hamilton County),” Perry adds. “We also have different locations that have cultural significance, such as the Ignite Studio at the library, Highland Cemetery (which is where a lot of the city’s founders are buried) and Conner Prairie, which is a big attraction here in town.”
When people visit a stop, they can scan the QR code that will be placed there and learn more information on the stop and its significance to Fishers. People will then get a hole punch onto their passport, and when they collect enough hole punches (kids have to collect 10 of the 15 and adults 20 of the 29), they can bring the cards into the city services building to redeem it for their prize. The first 150 people to finish the trail and bring in their passport will be able to redeem it for a special gift pack, including a gift card to a restaurant in Fishers. All participants who turn in their completed passport also receive a Fishers Sesquicentennial Trail t-shirt.
The trail takes place now through June 2023, giving residents a year to complete the trail at their own pace to celebrate Fishers’ 150th.
“I’m really excited to have our residents explore all different areas of Fishers that they might not have seen before,” Perry says. “There are some really popular destinations on the passport, but there are also some places that they might not have heard of.
To learn more about the sesquicentennial trail and all the stops, visit thisisfishers.com/sesquicentennial-trail. For more info on the Fishers Sesquicentennial Celebration visit thisisfishers.com\fishers150.
