2025 is set to be a year full of celebration in Riverside as the village will recognize the 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial, of its incorporation in 1875.
Officials are jumping to it, with the first ceremony not even two weeks away.
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Riverside will host its Sesquicentennial Opening Ceremony at 4:45 p.m. at Centennial Park, where the village will light the Historic Water Tower with the village’s sesquicentennial logo alongside music from the Riverside Brookfield High School marching band. The ceremony will last until 5:30 p.m. and be followed by a reception at 6 p.m. at the Riverside Public Library, which will include poetry reading and dessert.
Riverside officials have been preparing for the year of 150th anniversary celebrations since last year. In May, the village board approved new street signs for the entire village to mark the year. The new signs feature black text on white with a tree branch motif.
The retired signs, with white text on brown, will be available in two rounds of online auctions starting at $300 each. The first round of the auction will take place Jan. 20 through Feb. 3 with 48 street signs from 18 streets available. Details, including how to sign up for the auction, are available on the village’s website.
Three retired street signs — one each for Riverside Road, East Burlington Street and Olmsted Road — were available at the Holiday Stroll in December. Winners were selected by raffle, with tickets costing only $5 each.
Funds raised from the sale of retired street signs will help cover the village’s costs associated with sesquicentennial programming throughout the year.
The signs up for auction on Jan. 20 include:
- Arlington Road (one sign)
- Barrypoint Road (five signs)
- Blackhawk Road (one sign)
- Burling Road (one sign)
- Coonley Road (three signs)
- Fairbank Road (three signs)
- Haas Avenue (one sign)
- Lafayette Road (one sign)
- Lawton Road (one sign)
- Lindberg Road (one sign)
- Lionel Road (three signs)
- Millbridge Road (three signs)
- Miller Road (one sign)
- Ogden Avenue (two signs)
- Riverside Road (six signs)
- South Delaplaine Road (two signs)
- Scottswood Road (eight signs)
