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Open House, Founders Day Activities Scheduled Weekend of June 15-17

WAVERLY, Ohio - National Church Residences Bristol Village is holding its 50^th Anniversary Celebration beginning Wednesday, June 13. The continuing care retirement community began welcoming residents in 1962.

National Church Residences founder Rev. John R. Glenn had purchased it as a ghost town of 323 vacant houses with the vision of creating a retirement village. Today Bristol Village is home to about 700 residents who live in 400 individual homes, an 82-unit apartment complex, a 25-unit assisted living facility, a 50-unit convalescent center, and a 12-unit Alzheimer’s care facility.

Activities include an Open House with tours, a scavenger hunt and a quilt show among other things on Friday, June 15.  Founders Day, which includes a Hike for Hospice, sporting event, a celebration dinner and an historical drama, will be Saturday, June 16. A Day of Reflection will be held on Sunday, June 17, with National Church Residences President and CEO Tom Slemmer speaking.

“As time goes by, Bristol Village continues to charm.  We have the safety, pace, atmosphere and low cost of living associated with a small town, but we are within an hour’s drive of major metropolitan areas,” said Bristol Village Executive Director Pat Nichols. “We invite everyone to come visit us during the celebration.” For more information, call 740-947-2118.

Originally built as company housing, Bristol Village sits on 300 acres on the north edge of the Appalachian foothills, about 60 miles south of Columbus and 100 miles east of Cincinnati. It was the first community acquired by National Church Residences, then called Ohio Church Residences. Originally built during the 1950s to house employees of a local atomic energy plant, many of the homes were never occupied. Bristol Village’s first resident, Edna Findlay, moved to the community from Bakerstown, Penn., in 1962.