Benton, Sikeston making plans for 2010 sesquicentennial celebrations

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Two Scott County towns will celebrate their 150th birthdays in 2010 and the celebrations are beginning to take form.

"This isn't as big as a centennial, but it's not something we want to let pass by," said Christy LeGrand, a coordinator of the sesquicentennial events in Benton.

Also marking 150 years in 2010 will be the city of Sikeston. The Chamber of Commerce and city and spearheading the effort.

"Our calendar is really starting to fill up," said Missy Marshall, executive director of the SACC. "And I think the closer we get to the kickoff, the more it will be on people's minds."

The towns have quite different plans for the celebrations, although they will include some of the same events.

"The New Year's Eve hospital ball will kick everything off and I think that's going to be a great celebratory way to kick off the year," said Marshall. Other events will continue through the year, primarily existing events but with a sesquicentennial theme or twist, she said.

In Benton, three distinct dates are set, said Alvina Mainord, who is involved in the celebration preparations.

"Founder's Day is in April, so we plan to meet on the courthouse lawn," she said.

LeGrand said that would be the kickoff to Benton's activities. It will include a bandstand with speakers, "kind of like a mini rally," she said.

That will also be the day Benton men "bury their razors" if they choose to compete in the beard-growing contest, set to culminate in early June.

Sikeston will also have a beard-growing contest, but no specifics are worked out yet, said Marshall.

The first weekend in June, LeGrand said, organizers in Benton are planning for a community weekend that will include a street dance. "We'll also ask people to dress in period outfits and compete (for best-dressed), as well as have demonstrations of some old-time things," she said. "It's going to be our big activity weekend."

Plans are under way for a pageant that tailored to older people. The street festival is also when Mainord said the time capsule buried during the centennial celebration will be dug up.

In early September, another capsule will be buried. This will be done in conjunction with the annual Benton Neighbor Days, which will help wrap up the events. LeGrand said organizers plan to ask that Neighbor Day and its parade them be centered on the sesquicentennial.

That's what Sikeston organizers -- who also plan to bury a time capsule -- also aim for.

"That will be the theme for the rodeo and the Cotton Redneck BBQ that we're looking at using to incorporate some of those activities -- for instance, the beardgrowing contest may culminate in that event."

There are plans in the works for a large event to wrap up the year, she said.

Marshall noted that T-shirts and other sesquicentennial-themed merchandise is available for purchase. It is available online at the special Web site, www.sikeston.net/150.

Doug Friend, Sikeston city manager, said they ask businesses and organizations to incorporate the logo, which is available electronically, onto signs, clothing or other materials.

"Anywhere it could be applied and give us some publicity, we're certainly looking to do it," he said.

The city plans to have the logo on its vehicles for the year. In fact, the newest police car already has the logo affixed. "It will be in the parade on Saturday," he said.

The logo is set to be incorporated in the clothing, vehicles and other materials beginning in September, said Friend.

Of course, it's important to look at how a community has progressed over the years, too. LeGrand said several of the volunteers for Benton's celebration are interested in history and are planning to compile historical photos and articles. If anyone would like to share a photo, they are encouraged to do so, she said.

Marshall emphasized the importance of a town making it for 150 years.

"A lot of cities have dried up and not made it to 150, but we are still growing and thriving," she said. "That is something to celebrate."

Both events remain in the planning stages. Any individual or organization that has suggestions for Sikeston's event can contact City Hall at 573-471-2512 or the SACC at 573-471-2498.

Those who want to get involved in Benton's events can attend the next meeting, set for 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Riverside Regional Library meeting room, or contact LeGrand at 573-545-3111.