We are Bay Village

As a newer resident of Bay Village, I am quite interested in the city's history, especially now that the Bicentennial looms on the horizon. I wonder what life was like in 1810 for the first settlers? I'm sure they endured many hardships and challenges as they began building our community. When I moved to Bay Village I was unaware it had any historical significance. To me it was just that rather well-to-do suburb located near Lake Erie.

Now that I call Bay Village home, I am learning how erroneous my perception was. Our community is more than just a place to live. It's a unique combination of people, businesses, land and heritage. From the school crossing guard who watches over our children come rain or shine, to the clergy who preach in our many churches, offering hope in these troubling times, to the many volunteers who reach out to our less fortunate, to our police and fire fighters who provide for our safety...and the list goes on and on.

They are Bay Village, we are Bay Village. We are our businesses which keep us competitive and provide for our needs. We are the land which extends to the very northern shores of our country. We walk the same ground our forefathers walked and it is ours...every bit of concrete, every park, every grain of sand.

It is a gift given from those who had a vision of what this community might become. We must remind our children to respect and care for that which our ancestors worked and fought for. Let's keep that vision from the past alive and growing for the next hundred years.

Dianne Borowski lives in Bay Village.

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Volume 2, Issue 20, Posted 6:14 PM, 09.16.2010