September 6, 2007
For Immediate Release:
Statehood Anniversary Festival date shifts (and grows)
Tane S. Danger
E-mail: tane@mn150years.orgSnail:
C/o Sesquicentennial Commission
240 Summit Ave
St. Paul, MN 5510
(651)-296-1870 (office)
(507)-469-1433 (cell)
The commemoration of Minnesota’s 150th anniversary of statehood will last an entire week with major festivities on May 17th and 18th. The Commission is also looking for communities to be “Capital for a Day” to help highlight Statehood Week.
In a nod to fisherpeople and mothers across the state, the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission decided this month to adjust their plan to commemorate the state’s 150th anniversary of statehood. Now, instead of having the Statehood Weekend Festival on May 10th and 11th as originally planned (the same weekend as the fishing opener and Mother’s Day), the two-day extravaganza is set for May 17 & 18 in St. Paul. It will follow a week of events across the state, beginning with Statehood Day on May 11th.
“We didn’t want to ask Minnesotans to have to choose between the commemoration of 150 years of statehood and their first weekend of fishing or their Moms,” explained Sesquicentennial Commission Executive Director Jane Leonard. “By expanding the festivities across the state and across the week after Fishing Opener, there will be that much more opportunity for participation.”
That’s not to say the Sesquicentennial Commission will snub the official anniversary of statehood, May 11th. A reflective, simple ceremony will take place that Sunday at the State Capitol. At the conclusion of the ceremony, bells will ring across the state as a symbol of all that connects us as Minnesotans.
The ceremony will herald a week of remembrance, reflection and celebration throughout the state. The Sesquicentennial Commission is looking for communities that would like to be the “State Capital for a Day.” One community will be chosen to represent the state each day between the kick-off ceremony May 11th and the May 17th & 18th Weekend Festival.
“With this special Statehood Week, we want to highlight people and communities all over the state,” said Sesquicentennial Fellow and Community Outreach Coordinator Claire Plank. “We’re looking for communities of any kind willing to share their unique expressions of Minnesota’s spirit – whether historic characteristics or how Minnesota is evolving into the future.” The week is a capstone for one of the signature initiatives planned for the Sesquicentennial, the Community Spirit program set to launch this September.
Anyone interested in nominating his or her community to be a “State Capital for the Day” should contact the Sesquicentennial by emailing Claire Plank at claire@mn150years.org or calling the Sesquicentennial office at (651)-296-1870.
The “Capital for a Day” series will culminate with the Statehood Weekend Festival, May 17th and 18th. This two-day expo on the state capitol grounds in St. Paul will feature Minnesota People, Places and Progress, through exhibits, entertainment, a resource fair, family activities and a little bit of everything that makes Minnesota great. The event will also include a commemoration ceremony that will pay tribute to key elements of statehood today and into the future – Civic Engagement & Those Who Serve.
For more information contact the Sesquicentennial office at 651-269-1870.