SOUTH POINT - Not many birthday celebrations require the local fire department to be on hand for blowing out candles on the cake.

At South Point Elementary's birthday party for Ohio Thursday, that was the case.

Twenty-first Century After-School Mall coordinator Bill Christian said students at the school have been celebrating the state's birthday by researching famous people and places across the state, government symbols and researching the flag.

By doing this research, the students are sometimes teaching him a lesson.

"When researching famous people, they came up to me and asked, 'Did you know Bob Hope was from Ohio?'," Christian said. "I didn't know that. They always ask, 'Did you know that such-and-such was from Ohio?' They're more aware than what I thought."

"Neil Armstrong is from Ohio. That's pretty cool," fourth grader Ralph Crawford said.

After watching a video on Ohio's history, third-grader Kaitlyn Christian and fourth-grader Kevin Kaucos both correctly answered Ohio trivia questions and became the candle blowers for two large birthday cakes for the state which were covered with 200 candles.

"This is the only time you'll have the chance to blow out 200 candles unless you live to be 200 years old," Bill Christian said.

Besides having official Bicentennial speaker Joseph Baunson of Toledo speak to them in costume on April 15, the students will bury a time capsule filled with pictures of their families. The capsule will be opened 50 years from now. The original plan, Bill Christian said, was to have the capsule opened after 100 years, but staff decided they wanted the students to be able to see the opening.

Fifth grader Haley Pennington will be 62 years old at the opening.

"I'll tell my grandchildren that we celebrated the Ohio Bicentennial when I was in the fifth grade, and we learned about the state history and we buried a time capsule. I'm not sure what they'll say, seriously, I don't, but I'll say 'Wow!'"

Pam Payne, an aide and the mother of a 10-year-son at the school said she cannot fathom the thought of her son being 60 when it opens. However, she does like the fact that the students will be able to attend the unveiling of the capsule.

"If they're no longer living in the area, it will give them a reason to come back to where they grew up," she said.