City of Taylor celebrates its 175th anniversary with fun-filled events

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Happy birthday Taylor. No, not the singer Taylor Swift but the city of Taylor, which celebrated its 175th birthday with events at Heritage Park on Saturday.

Hundreds showed up at the park for a day of fun activities for the kids and to soak in the history and city of Taylor pride.

With the free event that started at noon and ended at 5 p.m., individuals were able to tour the historic landmarks on-site such as the Heritage Water Power Mill House and West Mound Church, which caught on fire in 2020 but was restored in 2022. Other sites to see were historic landmarks like the Heritage Log Cabin and Greenwald House, a former home in Taylor that was built in 1909 and given to the park, and now holds Maggie's Sweet Shop.

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At the park's gazebo, Mayor Tim Woolley, a Beaumont official and a few other dignitaries of Taylor addressed the crowd. And cake was served in celebration.

The community gathers at Heritage Park to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Taylor on Aug. 6, 2022.
The community gathers at Heritage Park to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Taylor on Aug. 6, 2022.

Kids screamed and eyes glistened with awe at the on-site petting zoo that featured a variety of animals ranging from goats, pigs to even a black cat.

Aliyah Miller, 23, of Rockwood, was a resident of Taylor until two years ago. Her mother was a resident for 17 years. With her two kids, she typically comes back to visit the petting zoo.

"This is a hidden gem to get your kids out and just walk around and not have to pay anything to walk around and actually see stuff, " Miller said. "It's a beautiful park."

She also heard it was a free event and thought it was a good idea to bring her children.

The sponsor of this event was Beaumont Health, plus there were over 15 vendors giving out free goodies like cupcakes, face painting, books and providing activities for kids.

Many in attendance were children with their parents, or longtime Taylor residents like Barbara Zantow.

Zantow, 65, came out to get some exercise at Heritage Park on Saturday before enjoying the celebration. She has lived in Taylor for over 10 years and says that the police department really connects with the community.

Kalani Norman gets her face painted by Clarissa Summers, an educator at the Taylor School District, at Heritage Park during the 175th anniversary of Taylor on Aug. 6, 2022. Norman's parents own Norman Cafe in Romulus near Taylor.
Kalani Norman gets her face painted by Clarissa Summers, an educator at the Taylor School District, at Heritage Park during the 175th anniversary of Taylor on Aug. 6, 2022. Norman's parents own Norman Cafe in Romulus near Taylor.

"Our police department, they do a real good job," Zantow said. "In fact, one of the officers I personally knew was Matthew Edwards. He was shot in the line of  duty during a domestic and he was just a sweetheart. I mean a man would take his shirt off and give it to you. That's how good he was."

Edwards was a part of the Taylor Police Department but died in 2010 after going to a burglary crime scene, where he was shot and killed by the suspect. Zantow also said that we must respect our police departments.

Things you may not have known about the city of Taylor 

Taylor is one of the cities in Michigan that has its own Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

CERT is a community organization where volunteers come out to events as first aid help. They are trained for CPR, disaster preparation, fire suppression, medical aid, plus search and rescue. They are tour neighborhood helpers in emergency circumstances.

Theresa Garcia is a volunteer of CERT and also a Taylor resident who came out to the event to be of assistance.

Over a dozen classic cars are parked near Heritage Park to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Taylor on Aug. 6, 2022.
Over a dozen classic cars are parked near Heritage Park to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Taylor on Aug. 6, 2022.

"What you learn is good for your family," Garcia said. "It helps you to keep your family safe in any type of an emergency. We trained probably 100 people."

The organization also allowed park attendees to practice CPR on a doll model to get on-site training.

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The city has over 63,000 residents and is 23.6 square miles. It became a city in 1968, but was founded as a township on March 16, 1847, which is why it celebrated Saturday as its 175th anniversary.

It ranks No. 17 in population in the state of Michigan.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: City of Taylor celebrates 175-year anniversary at Heritage Park