There’s something special about seeing a community come together — especially when it’s for the very first time.
This year, Osgood Bank brought one of our favorite traditions to Russia with the first-ever Raider Gate, joining Spirit Night at Indian Lake, Flyer Gate at Marion Local and Loramie Gate in a season filled with food, music, school spirit and time spent together.
For our team in Russia, this year’s Raider Gate was more than another community event. It was a first.
Held during Russia Schools’ Open House, Raider Gate gave Osgood Bank an opportunity to introduce a new tradition to a community where we are still making introductions of our own.
After a rainy and dreary day, the weather cleared just in time for a sunny evening. Families and community members of all ages came out to see what Raider Gate was all about, and the response exceeded our expectations. By the end of the event, 600 Raider Gate T-shirts had been handed out.
With music playing, food being served and activities throughout the event, Lydia described the atmosphere as happy and energetic. For many attendees, it was also their first opportunity to meet a larger group of Osgood Bank employees.
“I had quite a few community members ask if all the volunteers were Osgood Bank staff,” Lydia said. “Our Osgood Bank team seemed happy and helpful throughout the event even if they didn’t know the community members. I feel like it was a night of introductions.”
Those introductions started before the event even began. When the Russia boys cross country team stopped by to help with setup, a job expected to take about 30 minutes was finished in five.
For Lydia, one of the most meaningful parts of the evening was seeing the Russia community embrace something completely new.
“I enjoyed seeing the community come together to support a new business in town by attending an event they knew little or nothing about,” she said.
The feedback didn’t end when Raider Gate did. Community members continued telling our team in the days afterward how much they enjoyed the evening.
For a first Raider Gate, we couldn’t have asked for a better welcome — and we’re grateful to the Russia community, our sponsors and our Osgood Bank teammates for helping us begin what we hope will become a lasting tradition.
At Indian Lake, Spirit Night brought the community together ahead of the football game on September 18. After plenty of rain earlier in the week, Friday arrived with sunshine and comfortable temperatures.
Around 400 hot dogs were prepared for the evening, while the Indian Lake marching band and middle and high school cheerleaders helped bring plenty of school spirit. Attendees gathered to eat, visit and enjoy music from the DJ before heading to the game.
The Spirit Night shirts were once again a favorite, but what stood out most to Tammy was hearing how much attendees appreciated having an event where everything was provided at no cost.
“I enjoyed getting out in the community and letting them know that Osgood Bank is here and we appreciate them,” she said.
This was Tammy’s first year leading the event, and wet conditions made setup a little more complicated than usual. But the Osgood Bank team adjusted, pitched in and made it work.
“They all jumped in and together we had a great event,” she said.
At Marion Local, Flyer Gate once again drew a crowd.
Held on the band practice field at Marion Local Schools, the event welcomed at least 1,200 people from throughout the community. After dodging raindrops during setup, the skies cleared for a bright and sunny evening.
While adults caught up with friends and neighbors, kids had plenty of room to run, play and dance to the DJ. Osgood Bank team members circulated through the crowd taking photos and handing out football-shaped stress balls to some of the youngest Flyers.
And, as usual, the Flyer Gate T-shirts were a hit.
For Christy, though, one of the best parts was simply looking out over the crowd and seeing families enjoying the evening together.
“The music, giving back to the community, and watching everyone enjoy a carefree evening with friends and family” were among her favorite parts of the night.
A large group of Osgood Bank volunteers helped make it possible, reinforcing something that is true of every GATE event: these nights happen because a lot of people are willing to pitch in.
In Fort Loramie, this year’s Loramie Gate showed just how deeply a community tradition can take root.
Now in its 22nd year, Loramie Gate drew the familiar lines of families ready for an evening of food, music and fun. Even a roughly 45-minute stretch of rain couldn’t dampen the atmosphere. Kids kept playing, families gathered under the tent to talk and laugh, and the event carried on.
There were plenty of memorable moments — including a school bus passing during setup with kids yelling out the windows, “Give me some hot dogs!”
This year, the team also went looking for the oldest Loramie Gate shirt they could find. Their search turned up a shirt from the second annual event, and its owner received a door prize.
The evening included longtime favorites such as food, music, Schafer Market cookies and face painting, along with DJ trivia that had kids racing to answer questions for gift cards.
But after 22 years, perhaps the best measure of Loramie Gate’s impact is that it can still welcome someone for the first time.
Several Osgood Bank customers attended their first Loramie Gate this year, and even visitors from opposing team Minster stopped by. Natalie and Emme said many were surprised to learn that everything at the event was free.
“The immense gratitude from community members that attend and those who volunteer is truly worth all the sweat and work,” Emme said.
Behind the scenes, the Osgood Bank team may actually be getting a little too efficient. Setup has become so streamlined that there was joking concern about saving enough work for later volunteer shifts.
That kind of teamwork is a good problem to have.
Each event has its own personality. Some have been part of their communities for decades. Others, like Raider Gate, are just beginning.
But whether it was 1,200 people filling the field at Flyer Gate, kids playing through the rain at Loramie Gate, families gathering before the game at Spirit Night or Russia residents discovering Raider Gate for the first time, the reason behind these events remains the same.
They give us a chance to spend time with the communities we serve — not across a desk or during a transaction, but as neighbors.
We’re grateful to every sponsor, school, volunteer, community organization and Osgood Bank teammate who helped make this year’s events possible. Most of all, thank you to everyone who came out, grabbed a T-shirt or a hot dog, listened to some music, brought the kids and spent part of an evening with us.
Russia, thank you for welcoming Raider Gate in its very first year.
And to all of our communities: thank you for continuing to make these events traditions worth celebrating.
Learn more about all of our Gate events and join us as a sponsor: Sponsored Events