JUNE 20, 2025 |
Photo – Shively Hardware logo – Courtesy Shively web page
Saratoga’s hardware store will hold a grand reopening to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Shively Ace Hardware in Saratoga was opened in 1925 by Ed and Pearl Shively. Over the past century, the store has remained in the family, managed by Ed’s grandchildren, Mike and Joe Glode, along with Joe’s son, Ed.
In 1999, the Glodes divided the business into two locations. The hardware store remained in downtown Saratoga, on East Bridge Avenue, while a new powersports store opened on Highway 130, north of town. Joe and his son Ed manage the powersports division, while Mike Glode continues to oversee the hardware store.
At the June 3rd Saratoga Town Council meeting, Karen Smith, a descendant of the Shively founders, submitted a special event permit. The family wants to close South River Street, from East Bridge Avenue to the ally south of the store, on Saturday, July 26th. Smith said the event will serve as the 100th anniversary celebration for the hardware store.
Smith’s special event application asked to close River Street from noon to 9:00 p.m. However, Smith said the actual celebration won’t begin until 3:00 p.m. By listing noon on the application, Smith said she was allowing time to organize the event while preventing vehicles from parking on the east side of the building.
Saratoga Police Chief John Moore acknowledged that preventing people from parking outside the store can be challenging. Chief Moore suggested placing cones around the parking spots before closing the road, adding that he had no other concerns with Smith’s permit application.
In her special event permit application, Smith wrote she is expecting roughly 200 people to attend the grand opening and 100th anniversary celebration, with 20 staff members assisting.
The Saratoga Town Council unanimously voted to approve the permit application, including an open container provision.
The next day, Sunday, July 27th, the Glodes will unveil a new monument outside of Saratoga’s airport, Shively Field. Originally, the airport featured a small cannon which was said to have been used to defend Fort Halleck in 1880. The cannon remained along Highway 130 for over 70 years before officials discovered it was not an authentic artillery piece. Instead, the makeshift firearm was a toy built in the Hanna coal mines in the early 1900s.
In a 1981 Saratoga Sun article, Hanna resident Charles Ainsworth is quoted as saying, “In 1902 several men built a small cannon which they used on days of celebration. It was mounted on brake wheels. It was taken to Elk Mountain and now it is in Saratoga. Some claim it is an old cannon from Fort Halleck”
The supposed cannon was returned to Hanna last year and is currently on display at the Hanna Basin Museum. In its place, the Glode family has commissioned sculptor Chris Navarro to create a bronze replica of a P-51 Mustang, honoring Lieutenant Jack Edward Shively, the airport’s namesake. Lieutenant Shively was killed in combat over Chinon, France, on June 13, 1944.
The 16-foot-tall sculpture, titled Mustang Warrior, will depict a P-51 Mustang climbing in a banking turn. Sculptor Chris Navarro describes it as capturing the fearless spirit of those who took to the skies in the legendary aircraft.
The Shively Ace Hardware grand reopening and 100th anniversary celebration will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 26th, at 119 East Bridge Avenue in Saratoga. The following day, July 27th, the Glode family will unveil the new Shively Airport monument.
