Barberton, OH — BARBERTON, Ohio -- Very few cities or towns carry the name “magic,” but in this edition of Unzipped we explored a city that’s held the name for decades: Barberton.
"They say the city came out of the ground so rapidly with all the industry that it was magic, and that's why we became the 'Magic City,'" said Jim Stonkus of the Barberton Community Foundation.
Going through the 44203, you can’t help but notice the views of Lake Anna Park, but if you talk to true Barbertonians they’ll just tell you to go downtown.
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“It's almost like a resurrection,” Stonkus said. “Downtown Barberton is really taking off with all the breweries -- and we’ve got the coolest coffee shop around, called Kave."
Barberton also holds historical and cultural value, the kind you’ll see at Magical Theatre.
“It was built in 1919 as a silent movie theater,” Holly O’Connell, co-owner, said.
It’s a professional theater specifically for young audiences, even showing plays that give children the freedom to explore their interests.
The biggest accomplishment? Two years ago and $2 million later, the theater has finally completed its renovations.
“Several different seats put in, carpets that had been held together with duct tape, we had no dressing rooms,” O’Connell said. “But now every day we come to work and we say, 'Wow, we did it.'"
If that’s not enough, there’s an unwritten promise that you’ll leave the 44203 with a full heart and a full belly.
“It started out with one chicken house on the east side: Belgrade Gardens,” Brian Canale, owner of White House Chicken, said. “We started feeding the factory workers and it became a tradition."
The claim to fame in the city of purple pride might just be its chicken. A longstanding tradition that’s been passed down to diners at White House.
“If you go over to what is Bosnia now, you can get the same chicken dinner,” Canale said.
It is the chicken capital of the world after all!
“We have two entrees, chicken and fish,” Canale said. “We have more beverages than we have meals."
Simplicity at its finest.