FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2026

McDonald Honors Industrial Legacy with Woodland Park History Trail

The Village Looks to Remember its Steel Era and Create Public Space

McDONALD, OH – The Village of McDonald was awarded $16,696 by Ohio History Connection to build the “McDonald Millworkers Trail” and will celebrate with a check presentation at Woodland Park on April 10th, 2026 at 1:30 PM.

The McDonald Millworkers Trail was developed to preserve the history of steelmaking in McDonald following the closure and demolition of the McDonald Steel complex in 2025. The trail will feature enlarged panels describing important events and stories from the last 100 years. The trail will detail the Village’s story as a company town and cover the industrial and cultural history of the Village of McDonald.

“The creation of a public facing memorial honoring McDonald’s community and industrial legacy is essential to our ability to remember the past and imagine what the next 100 years of McDonald’s future could look like.” said Ray Lewis, Mayor of the Village of McDonald.

This award is the eighth grant received by the Village of McDonald since 2024, totaling over $140,000 in additional funding for park improvements, public safety equipment, and essential infrastructure. The McDonald Millworkers Trail is set to open to the public in the Summer of 2027.

Check Presentation:

Friday, April 10th, 1:30p.m.

Woodland Park, 600 Ohio Avenue, McDonald, Ohio

Confirmed: Mayor Ray Lewis, State Representative Nick Santucci

Invited: State Representative David Thomas

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Please RSVP media attendance to Pat Lowry at  pat@koconsultllc.com or text (330) 727-6137