SouthPark Mall To Celebrate 25th Anniversary Of Opening

STRONGSVILLE, OH — It's difficult to remember Oct. 16, 1996 now.

The No. 1 song in the nation was the Macarena, The First Wives Club and The Ghost and the Darkness were cleaning up at the box office, Bill Clinton was president, and the N64 had just been released. It was also the day SouthPark Mall first opened in Strongsville.

In the 25 years that have flowed by since then, the mall has seen plenty of changes both within and without. Strongsville has grown into one of the biggest, most commercially-dominated suburbs in Northeast Ohio. And malls have learned to weather the rise of online shopping.

To celebrate a quarter century of life, SouthPark Mall has a three-day birthday party planned this October. Don't expect too many Macarena dances though.

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Here's what the mall has planned for Oct. 15-17.

• Oct. 15 — The Friday event will start with live music at 4 p.m. A retailer fall fashion show, a beer garden and pumpkin patch will also be available. The Strongsville High music program, bounce houses and inflatables and a selection of food trucks will also be on hand.
• Oct. 16 — The Monica Robins and Joey Amato band will perform, magicians will dazzle audiences, Real Pop Fusion will giveaway gifts and guests can win prizes. There will be character photo opportunities with the likes of Wonder Woman, Super Girl, Poison Ivy, Anna, Elsa and Slider, as well as balloon artists, air brush tattoos, caricature artists, a petting zoo and more.
• Oct. 17 — The party winds down with free fitness classes, more giveaways, minute-to-win-it challenges and more.