February 18, 2026
As part of the America 250 celebration, the Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society will present The Big Roadshow: Transportation Milestones That Shaped Pickerington April 24–26 at the Pickerington Senior Center, 150 Hereford Drive.
The free, family-friendly event explores how transportation helped shape Pickerington, and the nation, focusing on key milestones including Zane’s Trace, the Ohio & Erie Canal, the railroad, and Interstate 70.
Ohio’s growth has long been tied to how people and goods move through it. Native peoples followed animal trails and traveled waterways by boat. Early settlers carved wagon paths through forests and cleared land for farming and manufacturing. In the early 1800s, canals connected Ohio to eastern markets, fueling rapid growth in towns and cities. By the mid-19th century, railroads largely replaced canals, offering faster transport and greater capacity. The creation of the interstate system in the mid-1900s cemented Ohio’s role as a transportation hub for trucking, logistics, and commerce.
Exhibits at The Big Roadshow will bring that history to life. The centerpiece of the show is a large S-scale model train display modeled after the Toledo & Ohio Railroad route, along which locomotives still travel through Pickerington today.
Additional highlights include an early motorcycle on loan from the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame and Museum and antique cars displayed in the parking lot, weather permitting.
Sixth-grade students from Harmon Middle School will present the story of Zane’s Trace, an ambitious 230-mile frontier road stretching from Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), through southeastern Ohio to present-day Maysville, Kentucky. The road played a major role in the development of the Northwest Territory and the cities of Zanesville, Lancaster, and Chillicothe.
The Diehl family of Master Builders has created a large LEGO display celebrating Ohio’s transportation history, while the Pickerington Public Library will offer a children’s craft. The Pickerington Early Learning Center students will display their art in the “Big Roadshow Coloring Corner” for kids.
Transportation-related wood carvings from the Olivedale Wood Carving Club will be exhibited.
Zane’s Trace lecturer, Dale Ferbrache, will portray a pioneer land surveyor and bring the wilderness to life on Saturday (time to be announced). Canal boat captain re-enactor, Jack Campbell, will be on hand Sunday at 3:00pm for a special presentation.
Tours of the original Pickerington train depot at the Toledo & Ohio Central Train Station, 50 N. Center St., will be available on the hour Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Re-enactor Tony Mills will portray Clyde Leach, the depot agent during a time when Pickerington was home to both the state’s largest creamery and a major grain mill.
The Big Roadshow runs Friday, April 24, from 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free however food will be available for purchase. More information is available at www.pickhistory.org.
