2026
LITTLE CITIES OF BLACK DIAMONDS DAY
Sustaining Heritage
This year’s Little Cities Day is centered around the theme Sustaining Heritage and focuses on strengthening our regional capacity to keep the history and traditions of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds region alive for generations to come. The event will bring together the many individuals and community organizations that work to uncover, preserve and share local history. A lineup of speakers will share their stories and insights for conducting heritage projects in the region, including adaptive reuse of buildings, communications strategies and ways to find funding and increase organizational capacity.
The Venue
Little Cities Day will be located at the newly renovated Tecumseh Theater in Shawnee.
Saturday, October 24
1:00pm-6:00pm
followed by Full Moon Canoe
at Tecumseh Lake, 7pm
free admission
Tecumseh Theater is located at 116 North Main Street Shawnee, Ohio.
If you have questions about accessibility or accommodations, please reach out to info@lcbdohio.org.
Speaker Lineup
We have an exciting lineup of speakers and educational tours.
1pm | Sustaining Heritage Panel
Tyler McDaniel of Little Cities of Black Diamonds will moderate a panel featuring Dr. Tee Ford of the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center, Logan Lambert of the Southeast Ohio History Center and Melissa Wales of Tecumseh Theater. Panelists will share their experiences overseeing adaptive reuse of historic spaces, building community programming and sustaining heritage in their communities.
2:10pm | Tecumseh Theater Tour
Join Melissa Wales, Executive Director for a walking tour of the newly renovated Tecumseh Theater and learn about the theater’s history, the design and engineering that went into the renovation and the many activities taking place in the theater today.
3pm | “We Make Your Clothes” with the Hocking Hills Garment Center
Founder Betsy Franjola and documentarian Erin Harper will share the journey of establishing one of the region’s first new manufacturers, in Buchtel, Ohio. Housed in the repurposed Buchtel Catholic Church, the Hocking Hills Garment Center is reimagining garment manufacturing, place-based labor and community engaged entrepreneurship that honors regional traditions and grows new skills.
4pm | Shawnee Walking Tour
Cheryl Blosser and Tyler McDaniel of Little Cities of Black Diamonds will lead a walking tour through Shawnee’s Main Street, sharing stories of the village’s history from its indigenous roots through present day development.
5pm | Q&A with a Grant Writer
Little Cities of Black Diamonds’ Kellye Blosser will interview Sam Miller, a professional grant writer with KO Consulting, about the funding landscape for heritage sustainability, best practices for approaching grants and ways nonprofits can access resources to support heritage projects in the region. Audience members are encouraged to bring questions.
Little Cities Day is Made Possible by
Little Cities of Black Diamonds Day is funded in part by the Ohio Arts Council.