 |
It won’t be long before bicentennial logos start showing up on letterhead, if not shirts, hats and Christmas ornaments, too.
The City of London will turn 200 years old in 2011, right on the heals of Madison County’s 200th birthday in 2010. A steering committee has started to lay the groundwork for celebrations that likely will start on the anniversary of London’s incorporation, March 1, 2011.
From now until then, the committee will be gathering volunteers, spreading the word, and raising money. The group commissioned a Chillicothe artist to create a logo that will serve as the graphic element that ties these efforts together.
“The logo features the courthouse clock tower. When people think of London, they think of that,” said Dina Pierce, president of the steering committee. “We wanted to honor Madison County’s agricultural heritage, so the logo includes farm fields in an abstract way. We also wanted to look to the future, and we think the sunrise in the logo represents that.”
The first time the logo might show up on merchandise for purchase is at this year’s Old Fashioned Christmas in London, which is set for Dec. 1. Pierce said the group hopes to staff a table during the event. They are looking into the feasibility of having holiday ornaments ready to sell at that time.
“We need to raise a fair amount of money to pull this off because we want to put on a good show for people in a couple of years,” Pierce said.
Promotions, fundraising, and planning are all on the to-do list. The steering committee meets on the fourth Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the London City Council chambers on East Second Street. They are tossing around all sorts of ideas for events in 2011 and welcome input.
“We’ve been talking about different parades and tying in with other established events in the county, like the Strawberry Festival, the Ox Roast in West Jefferson and Good Ole Days in Mount Sterling,” Pierce said. “We are looking at doing something that is bicentennial-only on July 4 of that year, and concluding everything possibly with the Old Fashioned Christmas again.”
Pierce said the committee is looking for volunteers with special skills, interests, ideas and connections.
“Whether they have a lot of time or a little time to help, we want them to participate,” she said. “We want to make it fun, and we want to make it fun for the people organizing it, too.”
For more information about the bicentennial celebration plans or to volunteer, call the City of London at 740-852-3243. Mayor David Eades is a member of the steering committee.
