Missouri bicentennial coordinator visits in preparation for 2021

In 2021, Missouri will celebrate its 200th anniversary of statehood, and the Missouri Historical Society wants local help to mark the occasion.

Michael Sweeney, Missouri bicentennial coordinator, is on a statewide tour, and as of Monday, he was 95 counties in, he said.

"I travel around the state, not just to raise awareness, but to build a network," Sweeney told Cape Girardeau County Commissioners and the Jackson Board of Aldermen at individual meetings Monday.

Sweeney said focus groups told the Missouri Historical Society early on local people did not want a state group coming in, telling them how to organize celebrations.

So, he said, instead, "We're going to help you make the event happen."

The end goal, Sweeney said, isn't just to celebrate the bicentennial, but to help us all have a better understanding of our neighbors.

So-called "statewide" celebrations often leave out everything that doesn't happen along the Interstate 70 corridor, Sweeney said -- cities outside St. Louis, Kansas City and occasionally Columbia are often neglected.

So for the bicentennial, several statewide projects are planned to truly bring everyone in the state to the table, he said.

My Missouri 2021 photograph project will invite photographers, professional or amateur, to capture "distinctiveness of place" across Missouri, Sweeney said.

Selected photographs will be toured across the state, he said, and included in online exhibits.

A bicentennial quilt is planned, as well, with materials and assembly donated by Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, Missouri.

Each county and the independent city of St. Louis will contribute a block, Sweeney said, and the quilt will also be toured around the state, likely to coincide with local quilt shows.

A partner in the project, the Missouri Humanities Council, is sponsoring a penny drive in Missouri public schools. Funds raised will go toward conserving founding state documents.

There's also an endorsement program, so local organizations wanting to develop and host their own bicentennial activities, or who have an existing event that meets certain criteria, can sign up to use the Missouri 2021 logo, Sweeney said.

According to missouri2021.org, official endorsements are offered to local communities, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies for projects, programs and events occurring between Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2021.

Endorsement includes permission to use the Missouri 2021 logos and listing on the Missouri 2021 website.

Applicants should promote a better understanding of Missouri, its regions, communities and people, past and present; be open to the public; and be self-supporting with funding. Exclusions include individuals such as a candidate for public office, for-profit ventures, political organizations and exclusionary or discriminatory activities.

Other statewide nods to the celebration are the bicentennial license plate, already in circulation; a Twitter project, Missouri Crisis at 200; Four Years to Statehood lesson plans for elementary-school teachers; virtual and traveling exhibits and more.

Sweeney said another project that he hopes many people will join in on is the Missouri Encyclopedia.

"You've heard of Wikipedia?" Sweeney asked. "Well, this isn't that."

It's a robust resource with long-form articles written with a national audience in mind, shorter articles of statewide significance, and the smallest entries, 250 to 1,000 words, Sweeney said should come from local people.

"Who are the people and what are the places and events that shaped your community, your county?" Sweeney asked -- those are the items wanted for the resource.

And, as of Thursday afternoon, the Southeast Missouri region has no entries at missouriencyclopedia.org, but guidelines for entries are posted on the site.

More information on the bicentennial plans and projects is online at missouri2021.org.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630