Buckeye CableSystem turned 50 years old Tuesday, and to mark the occasion, company officials announced a year’s worth of celebrating, special events, giveaways, and other activities that will honor the company’s customers and employees and the local community.

“It is a great honor for me today to be here to start our one-year celebration, the 50th anniversary of the creation of Buckeye CableSystem,” said Allan Block, chairman of Block Communications Inc., which owns Buckeye CableSystem and The Blade.

“I believe we have had 50 years of serving the average people at home in superior ways. I think we’ve had 50 years of innovation and creation and established a superior local communications system,” Mr. Block said.

“As we look toward the future, I think we’re going to have a great many further accomplishments and triumphs,” he added.

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Attending Tuesday’s celebration was the Rev. John E. Roberts, pastor of Toledo’s Indiana Avenue Missionary Baptist Church. He was Buckeye’s first customer in 1965 — although, as Buckeye president Jeff Abbas noted, it wasn’t until March, 1966, that Mr. Roberts could actually get cable service in his Calumet Avenue home in Toledo. The company built a tower in Sylvania Township that brought in the Detroit television stations.

“We thank you for your patronage and patience … because we didn’t hook you up for 14 months,” Mr. Abbas said, drawing laughs from the crowd gathered at one of the company’s South Toledo offices.

To honor its first customer, Buckeye presented Mr. Roberts with a plaque and a certificate for free cable service for himself and his church for a year.

“How many other companies, local or otherwise, can identify their first customer? Because we all know without our customers we wouldn’t be here,” said Florence Buchannan, Buckeye’s vice president of competitive marketing.

Ms. Buchannan said Buckeye plans to “surprise and delight” all of its customers throughout the year.

The company will hold contests, giveaways, and other events that are still being planned.

The first event will be Feb. 18, when anyone visiting a Buckeye CableSystem customer service lobby will receive a free VOD (video on demand) coupon.

Fifty customers will be chosen at random that day to receive $50 Buckeye CableSystem gift cards, Ms. Buchannan said.

“We have a lot planned. Our customers are very special and in this environment and over the years people had a chance to get other services but they chose to stick with us, so we’re very appreciative and we’re going to take the entire year to celebrate with our customers,” Ms. Buchannan said.

Tom Cole, host and community development director at Buckeye’s BCSN network, said the sports cable channel will celebrate the year with its own events and programs.

It will heighten awareness of community programs as if coach of the year, teacher of the year, and student of the year, but also roll out some new programs, he said.

One example is a “Day in the Parks” event where BCSN will hold renaissance fairs at seven area parks. Half the day will be devoted to the teaching of sports activities, with the other half focusing on arts and crafts.

Buckeye also intends to celebrate with its employees.

“At Buckeye CableSystem, our employees are our most valuable resource. They are the heart of our company and they are the source of our competitive advantage,” said Gretchen Carroll, company senior manager for talent and organizational development.

Ms. Carroll said the company plans to hold a gala dinner and special days at the Toledo Zoo and Toledo Speedway for its employees later this year. “There will be a variety of activities from bowling tournaments to ice cream socials with something happening every week,” she said.

Mr. Abbas said when he and Mr. Block recently discussed why the Block family created Buckeye, the chairman said it was because they believed they “could do it better.”

Mr. Abbas said, “Maybe there will come a day when we can no longer do it better but, by God, we can still do it better today because we have local service to local customers and that’s our edge. And we’ll do it better.”

Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.

First Published February 4, 2015, 5:00 a.m.