Barberton is turning 135 years old, and the city is marking the occasion Sunday with a baseball game, a bike ride, and a first pitch thrown by one of its most recognizable hometown athletes. Gates open at noon at Akron's ballpark for the Barberton Community Day event, with the Akron RubberDucks set to face the Somerset Patriots at 1:05 p.m.
The celebration is a joint effort between the City of Barberton, the Cominsky Family Foundation, and Ignite Brewing Company, according to a City of Barberton announcement. The day blends baseball, biking, and community activities to honor Barberton's 135th birthday, with former NFL player John Cominsky set to throw the ceremonial first pitch alongside a youth football camper.
Cominsky, a 2014 graduate of Barberton High School, played college football at the University of Charleston before being drafted 135th overall in 2019. He went on to play six seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions before retiring from professional football in March 2025, according to background from the Cominsky Family Foundation.
A Foundation Built on Fighting Weekend Hunger
John and his wife Brittany founded the Cominsky Family Foundation in 2021, and the organization now runs the “Backpack Blessings” initiative, which partners with local school districts to supply food-insecure students with reusable backpacks filled with non-perishable weekend meals. Ticket proceeds from Sunday's game directly fund local youth assistance programs run by the foundation.
The fundraising mechanics come courtesy of the RubberDucks' “Charity Begins at Home” program, through which partner non-profits purchase game tickets at a discounted rate of $7 to resell for up to $16, keeping the proceeds while also receiving on-field recognition and 25 percent of game-day Plinko promotional revenue, per Minor League Baseball's community relations materials. The Cominsky Family Foundation was selected as this year's Charity Begins at Home partner for the event.
The foundation is also mid-campaign on a separate effort called JC's Run for Funds, launched in July. The 12-week training campaign covers 200 to 400 miles, with donors sponsoring participants per mile to raise $5,000 for local youth outreach, and sponsorship options that include business logo placements on event apparel.
Ignite Brewing Ties the Day to Barberton's Industrial Roots
Co-host Ignite Brewing Company, a downtown craft venue operating a taproom at 600 W. Tuscarawas Ave., chose its name as a direct tribute to O.C. Barber's Diamond Match Company, which originally “ignited” Barberton's economic development back in the 1890s, according to the City of Barberton. The brewery donates 11 percent of select event sales to local causes.
That industrial history is the reason Barberton exists at all. Industrialist Ohio Columbus Barber filed incorporation documents on March 23, 1891, planning the town around Lake Anna and relocating his match manufacturing operations there. Barberton City Council passed Resolution No. 44-2026 recognizing March 23, 2026, as Founders Day for the city's 135th anniversary, formalizing the municipal backing behind this summer's celebrations.
The rapid growth that followed earned Barberton its enduring nickname. An Akron Beacon Journal reporter observed in 1893 that the farm settlement had expanded so quickly since its founding two years earlier that it appeared to have developed “by magic,” giving rise to the “Magic City” moniker still used today, according to city records. Factory jobs in match and rubber manufacturing fueled that population boom.
A Summer of Anniversary Events Across Barberton
Sunday's ballpark celebration is one piece of a broader push to mark the milestone. In June, Main Street Barberton, Barberton City Schools, and the City of Barberton published “135 Things To Do in Barberton,” a collaborative civic guide showcasing local businesses, parks, and cultural events tied to the anniversary. Main Street Barberton was established in 2022 to drive downtown historic revitalization.
The ballgame itself will take place at 7 17 Credit Union Park, formerly known as Canal Park, a $31 million downtown Akron ballpark with a seating capacity of 7,630 that opened in 1997. The stadium was designed by Populous, the same architecture firm behind Cleveland's Progressive Field, and sits along Main Street in Akron next to the historic Ohio & Erie Canal.
Barberton recorded a population of 25,191 residents across roughly 9 square miles in the 2020 U.S. Census, and the Summit County city sits in the Akron metropolitan area, about eight miles from the University of Akron. The 135th birthday festivities arrive amid a busy stretch of local news for the city, following council's bid to oust the mayor and a school tax fight over classroom funding.
