By DOUG DONNELLY
Advance Editor
The cutting of the cake Saturday had to wait. Lynn Lietzke was in the middle of talking to a customer about a lawn mower.
Bill’s Service celebrated 70 years of being in business Saturday with prizes, raffles, product demonstrations and plenty of customers reminiscing about the generations served by the local company. While customers roamed freely around the show room, some stopped by to pick up the occasional weed whip that was being serviced, purchase oil or a part from the service counter or talk to Lietzke about a lawn mower.
“We don’t want to interrupt him in the middle of a sale,” his wife, Sandy, whispered.
Eventually, the cake was cut and the celebration continued with the anniversary celebration of Bill’s Service, located on W. Adrian St. since the 1960s. The current location, 116 E. Adrian St., was also celebrated with the unveiling of a historical plaque on the front of the building.
A nice-sized crowd of family, friends and customers watched as Councilman Ken Nichols read a village proclamation about the family business, which started in 1956. The historical marker is part of a new program by the Main Street/DDA, which plans on recognizing more buildings in the village.
“We’re going to try to do two a year, maybe around an event or something,” said DDA Director Laura Nichols. “I want to celebrate all of the entrepreneurial spirt that we have.”
Not every village still has its historic buildings or celebrates them, she said.
“Historical preservation is one of the key components of Main Street,” Nichols said. “We want to draw attention to them and make sure people understand the value of our hundred-year-old buildings. So many places tore their places down and they don’t have that rich history. We want to bring that home to people and show that Blissfield is really special and that we have some really historic buildings that we want to rehab and keep.”
The Main St./DDA is partnering with the local historical society, who does the research on the buildings.
Bill’s Service was a worthy first choice for the plaque since it coincided with the company’s anniversary.
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