A’ROR’N Days agenda full of fun, historical milestones

Aurora is ready to roll out the red carpet and celebrate this week with a four-day A’ROR’N Days party that’s long overdue.
After a one-year pandemic pause, event organizers on several fronts are excited to finally be able to continue what has become an annual late June tradition. 
“It’s kind of fun and exciting as we get closer and people step up to help get things ready,” said Roger Scott, A’ROR’N Days Committee chairman. “We have all kinds of things to celebrate this year with the city’s 150th and the 125th courthouse celebration, so there seems to be a lot of excitement and people are anxious to get going.”
In addition to several familiar events including Thursday’s Family Night fun, Friday’s car show and street dance and Saturday’s day-long list of activities culminating around the downtown square, (See a detailed schedule on Page A6) this year’s agenda includes two historical milestones. The city of Aurora will celebrate its 150th birthday while the Hamilton County Courthouse turns 125 years old (though the actual courthouse birthday fell in 2020). Each will be celebrated accordingly.
A special video commemorating the city’s 150th will be shown throughout the weekend with free viewings at the 12th Street Cinema (See related stories on Page A1 and A6). 
As for the 125th birthday party for the iconic structure in the heart of the downtown square, members of the anniversary committee have been working on a number of activities designed to bring countywide attention to the courthouse.
At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, tours to the top of the courthouse tower will be awarded to six lucky winners, each of whom can bring a guest. Sign up for the tower tour drawing started June 1 and will continue through Thursday at the area villages, Aurora News-Register or the county’s website. Participants must be 18 years of age to apply, all realizing that the top of the tower is 121 steps up. Winners of the tower tour will be drawn and announced Thursday evening during A’ROR’N Days activities at the courthouse.
An open house is also planned for Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., followed by a program at 3. 
The program will feature a performance by Hannah Huston, the introduction of state and local dignitaries, the dedication of the restored water fountain, all followed by a historical story-telling type presentation by Pippa White. 
At the conclusion of the program, a drawing will be held culminating a raffle for two arch-shaped windows which formally hung in the courthouse.
Hoping to generate countywide interest prior to the event, the committee has also organized a scavenger hunt, inviting residents from throughout Hamilton County to get engaged Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m.
“We wanted people to understand that it’s Hamilton County, not just Aurora, and that includes all of our villages,” said committee member Karen Bamesberger. 
To register, download the free “GooseChase” app from Google Play or the App Store. Choose to play as a guest or register for personal account. Search for “125 County Wide” or use game code “7Z3P46”. More information can be found at www.hamiltoncountyne.com
Keeping an eye on the weather forecast now that the week has finally arrived, Scott said it’s all systems go in Aurora.
“We have a lot of new board members involved and they are all pretty excited,” he concluded. “We want people to come back home and remember what Aurora was like when they were here and hopefully they’ll find it even better than before. That’s kind of what we have been working toward. I think everybody is going to have a good time.”