Sesquicentennial Banner arrives in Northfield Thursday
Two official Sesquicentennial banners are on tour, making stops at libraries across the state. One of the banners will be in Northfield this Thursday and Friday, May 8-9.
The banner will be presented to Northfield officials by the James Gang. Each banner is accompanied by a leather-bound journal in which visitors can write thoughts about Minnesota and the Sesquicentennial. People are invited to sign the journal at Bridge Square on Thursday, May 8th at 6pm, following a ceremonial presentation. The banner and the journal will be at the Northfield Public Library all day Friday from 9:30am – 5:30pm.
Booker, the Northfield Bookmobile will transport the banner and journal to St. Paul on Saturday, May 10. Both items will be presented to the Governor at Statehood Weekend in May, and eventually will find a home with the Minnesota Historical Society.
The banners will make stops at libraries in every county in Minnesota before returning to St. Paul on May 11th, 2008 for the 150th anniversary of statehood. In addition to creating interest in the Sesquicentennial, the banners’ journey is intended to highlight the importance of public libraries in Minnesotans’ daily lives. “We picked libraries to be the official host of this special sesquicentennial banner and journal because libraries are essential to our civic and economic life as a state and in our local communities,” said Sesquicentennial Commission Executive Director Jane Leonard. “Public libraries are lifelong learning labs, filled with the information and knowledge we need to grow as individuals, to start and grow businesses, and to share a civic life with our fellow citizens who gather in those public spaces.”
The first banner began its journey this past May at the Rural Summit in Brainerd. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Former First Lady Jane Freeman (whose husband, Governor Orville Freeman, was governor during the state’s centennial in 1958) and Sesquicentennial Commission Vice Chairperson Reatha Clark King were among the first to sign the accompanying journal.
To find out more about the Sesquicentennial visit http://www.mn150years.org/.
Northfield 6th Graders do their part
Today (Friday, May 9) from 9:00am till 2:00pm, over 300 Northfield 6th graders will be celebrating Minnesota’s 150 years of statehood with a project called “All Things Minnesota”. These enthusiastic 6th graders will be painting over 100 windows at their school, with themes such as the Mighty Mississippi, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the Fires of 1918 and even our state flower and butterfly.
It is an undertaking of enormous proportion, but also of enormous significance as we celebrate this important milestone in our state’s history.
For more information contact Julie Pritchard at 612-817-2424 or Amy Lunderby at 507-581-0988.
Post new comment