The Sunday editions of our local newspapers feature reports from the bicentennial celebration underway in Charlestown, Indiana (founded 1808), and for New Albanians, this event in a neighboring town presupposes a question.
Will our city be doing anything special to mark its 200th birthday in 2013?
Five years isn’t much time when one considers the reality of the situation. New Albany does self-defeating ennui the way New Orleans cooks piquant gumbo, and the same small group of energetic and capable organizers inevitably will at some point be charged with planning and executing a celebration, while another small band of embittered flat-earthers hurl brickbats and mock the entire process from their typically anonymous perches.
All the while, roughly 80% of the city’s residents will remain oblivious to the occasion, although at least some of them will turn out for the festivities if there’s the promise of a swill walk, free elephant’s ears, a fundamentalist prayer breakfast or the ritual burning of a progressive or three.
Seriously ... since I'm one of those destined for the stake, my fear is that for the sake of expedience, we’ll pass up the chance in 2013 to showcase the good things about New Albany in a unique and fresh way, and opt instead to make the bicentennial a part of Harvest Homecoming. Nothing against the latter (really); it’s just that a branded bicentennial event would be the ideal platform from which to declare the victory of progressive thinking in a revitalized urban area.
Or, conversely, to perform last rites. Wanna buy your door prize tickets now?
Will our city be doing anything special to mark its 200th birthday in 2013?
Five years isn’t much time when one considers the reality of the situation. New Albany does self-defeating ennui the way New Orleans cooks piquant gumbo, and the same small group of energetic and capable organizers inevitably will at some point be charged with planning and executing a celebration, while another small band of embittered flat-earthers hurl brickbats and mock the entire process from their typically anonymous perches.
All the while, roughly 80% of the city’s residents will remain oblivious to the occasion, although at least some of them will turn out for the festivities if there’s the promise of a swill walk, free elephant’s ears, a fundamentalist prayer breakfast or the ritual burning of a progressive or three.
Seriously ... since I'm one of those destined for the stake, my fear is that for the sake of expedience, we’ll pass up the chance in 2013 to showcase the good things about New Albany in a unique and fresh way, and opt instead to make the bicentennial a part of Harvest Homecoming. Nothing against the latter (really); it’s just that a branded bicentennial event would be the ideal platform from which to declare the victory of progressive thinking in a revitalized urban area.
Or, conversely, to perform last rites. Wanna buy your door prize tickets now?
I was 9 years old when New Albany celebrated the Sesquicentennial in 1963. I remember there was a parade, and one of the banks had a coin stamped that commemorated the 1813-1963 event. I don't really remember much else from that festival. Becoming a city that is 200 years old is a major milestone. The celebration shouldn't be limited to the Harvest Homecoming Festival. New Albany could benefit from the Bicentennial in the years leading up to the 2013 event with sponsored events each year. There could be yearly festivals, other than Harvest Homecoming, say like in the Spring of each year,leading up to to 2013. The City could sell Bicentennial t-shirts, caps, mugs, bumper stickers, license plates, and use all proceeds for the Bicentennial main event in 2013. The "main event" should include a huge fireworks display...I'm talking barges in the river type. A commemorative monument could be placed at the corner of Pearl and Market St at the entrance to where the old plaza and the original Farmer's Market used to be. There could be a contest to design the monument. There could be concerts, with proceeds going towards the 2013 "main event", and much more. The Bicentennial doesn't have to be behind the 8 ball. If another game were used, New Albany's 200th Birthday could be a "slam-dunk".
ReplyDeleteLove the barge-fireworks idea. Maybe we can light up the Sherman Minton too?
ReplyDeleteBicentennial success won't necessarily be gauged by the 80% apathy rate, the flat-earthers, the event itself, or even the current crop of more progressive thinkers.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be a measurement of people who aren't here yet, whether or not they're here then and in what numbers and particular qualities.
You're right about utilizing an unreformed HH, though. What better way to make sure that positive change in the community is ignored than to wrap communication of it into a lesser facsimile of what used to be?
The message and the medium need to be different.