Mason 150
Sesquicentennial Celebration for the City of Mason, MI
1865-2015
Community Interest Meeting
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
6:30pm • Mason City Hall
Agenda
I. Introductions (David Haywood)
a. Facilitators
i. David Haywood, Zoning & Development Department
ii. Marlon Brown, Historic District Commission
iii. Barb Tornholm, Mason City Council
b. Attendees
c. Meeting Overview
II. Goals and Theme for the Mason Sesquicentennial Celebration (Marlon Brown)
a. Discussion of Goals
i. Increase Civic Pride
ii. Honoring our History
iii. Stimulating our Local Economy
iv. Focusing on our Future
b. What additional goals might be included?
c. What should be the theme of the Mason Sesquicentennial?
III. Brainstorming Session (Barb Tornholm)
a. Events & Activities
i. What types of events and activities would you like to see incorporated into the sesquicentennial?
1. March 9th Commemoration
2. Arts, Music, & Culture
3. Sports & Recreation
4. Historical & Educational
5. Exhibits & Displays
6. Agricultural
7. Food & Beverage
8. Families / Children & Youth / Young Adults / Seniors
9. Community Service
b. Commemorative Items
i. Mason 150 Logo Contest (Mason Area Chamber of Commerce)
ii. Mason 150 Paraphernalia (Rebecca Clinton)
iii. Public Art or Commemorative Monument
iv. Mason 150 Time Capsule
IV. Good of the Order
a. Sign Up for Mason 150 Steering Committee & Subcommittees
V. Adjournment
Background Information
On March 9, 1865, the City of Mason was incorporated, and in 2015 Mason will be having a sesquicentennial celebration. The Historic District Commission (HDC) is facilitating the organization of this effort and soliciting community-wide assistance and involvement.
The Mason Sesquicentennial Celebration (Mason 150) will be a year-long commemoration of the city’s past, present, and future. The celebration will include several signature activities, events, and festivals that will observe this milestone and help achieve the following goals:
Increasing Civic Pride: The sesquicentennial celebration aims to increase civic pride among the residents of Mason. An event of this magnitude and significance should strive to encourage community involvement and service, foster greater civic awareness, and facilitate opportunities to socialize with neighbors and friends.
Honoring our History: Throughout the sesquicentennial celebration special emphasis will be placed on saluting the heritage of our city and its residents. This will be achieved through a variety of displays, exhibits, and publications highlighting the uniqueness and diversity of our community. This will include a special day of commemoration on March 9, 2015, the official date of incorporation.
Stimulating our Local Economy: The sesquicentennial celebration will build on existing events and festivals that bring residents and visitors to the downtown area. Through thoughtful coordination, careful planning, and aggressive publicity the celebration aims to attract sizable crowds to the city creating a stimulus for our local economic base.
Focusing on our Future: As we salute our past, we look to the opportunities of tomorrow by laying a plan for future growth in industry, commerce and culture. The sesquicentennial celebration aims to develop leadership in our community by encouraging involvement in the planning process and by promoting service in and around the city of Mason. Moreover, it is also proposed that the community should create a form of public art (monument, mural, etc.) to further commemorate this historic occasion.
In addition to the goals of the celebration the HDC believes that the sesquicentennial should have an overall theme. Considering that Mason is a community where “people value the past, live in the present and look ahead to the future,” (http://www.villageprofile.com/michigan/mason/) the theme should be inclusive of these concepts.
To this end, the HDC recommends the formation of a community-wide steering committee that will refine these goals, develop a broad theme, and help to plan and oversee the various components of the sesquicentennial celebration
Mason 150 Events and Activities
The following outline of events and activities are merely intended to provide ideas to the steering committee. This is simply a proposal and nothing has been confirmed at this point. In order to facilitate a year-long celebration, it is suggested that the community utilize existing festivals in addition to planning a signature event (or week of events) that will provide a hallmark for the overall celebration.
Mason 150 Signature Events
The signature events for the celebration might include:
- Mason 150 Celebration of Incorporation (Monday, March 9, 2015)
- Invite local music ensembles to perform a Historical Music Concert
- Mason 150 Community Celebration (Sunday, June 21 – Saturday, June 27, 2015)
(Schedule of Events adapted from the 125th Anniversary)
Sunday, June 21 – Day of Faith
§ Worship Services at Mason Area Churches
§ Local Church Open Houses
§ Official Opening
§ Courthouse Tours
§ Family Picnic
§ Outdoor Community Concert
Monday, June 22 – Heritage Day
§ Craft Demonstrations
§ Folk Dancing / Clogging / Square Dancing
§ Croquet
§ Opening of 1990 Time Capsule
§ Quilt Show and Bake Sale
§ Pageant Preshow
§ Mason in Motion Pageant
§ Mason High School Grand Reunion
Tuesday, June 23 – Salute to Business and Industry
§ Community Wide Yard Sale
§ Buy Mason Day / Night on the Town
§ Some sort of evening festivity
§ Clean Up Day
§ Local Business Open House
Wednesday, June 24 – Agriculture Day
§ Coordinate events with Farm Bureau
§ Farm Bureau Exhibit
§ Pork Barbeque
§ Local Farm Open Houses
Thursday, June 25 – Youth Day
§ Children’s’ Parade
§ Youth Activities
§ Ping Pong Tournament
§ Wacky Olympics
§ Middle School Dance
§ High School Dance
§ Skate Park Show
Friday, June 26 – Day of Service
§ Park and Neighborhood Cleanup
§ Senior Center Service Activities
§ Care Packages for Troops
§ Habitat for Humanity Home
§ Health Fair
§ Health Screenings
§ Blood Drive
§ Bone Marrow / Organ Donation
Saturday, June 27 – Community Day
§ Early Morning Coffee
§ Art Show
§ Softball Tournament
§ Courthouse Tours
§ Ice Cream Social & Dessert Tasting
§ Cake Decorating Contest / Pie Contest
§ Courthouse Cotillion Ball
§ Hot Air Balloon Ascension
§ Bury 2015 Time Capsule
§ Unveil Mason 150 Monument
§ 5K Run / Walk
§ Bicycle Race
§ Tennis / Badminton Tournament
§ Parade (Possible Governor Appearance)
§ Kite Flying
Mason 150 Affiliated Festivals
These annual festivals could be incorporated into the overall celebration:
32nd Spring Fling Weekend: April 30 – May 3, 2015
Thursday through Sunday festival, centered on the first Saturday in May.
Thursday Night Live Concerts: May – September, 2015
Summer Outdoor Concert Series on Courthouse Lawn
Memorial Day Parade: Monday, May 25, 2015
Independence Day Celebration & Parade: Saturday, July 4, 2015
Michigan Antique Steam Engine and Tractor Club Show: July 25, 2015
Last Saturday of July
161st Ingham County Fair: August 3 – 8, 2015
First week of August.
Mason Aviation Day at Mason Jewett Airport: August 2015
Mid-August, hosted by EAA Chapter 55.
6th DDA Sun Dried Music Festival: Saturday, August 29, 2015
42nd Down Home Days Weekend: September 17 – 20, 2015
Thursday through Sunday festival, centered on the third Saturday in September.
Veterans Day Parade: Wednesday, November 11, 2015
15th Mason Holidays Celebration and Light Parade: Friday, November 27, 2015
Mason 150 Additional Activities
The following is a partial list of activities that highlighted the Mason 125 celebration in 1990. Some of these events were listed in the community celebration schedule events; however, they are subject to change based on the preferences of the steering committee.
§ T-Shirts with Mason 150 Logo & Calendar of Events
o Maybe incorporate T-Shirts with 5K run/walk
§ Parade with Possible Governor Appearance
§ Courthouse Tours
§ Souvenir Cookbook
§ Souvenir Journal
§ Souvenir Stock
§ Banners & Flags throughout Downtown
§ Downtown Window Façade Contest
§ Cotillion Ball / Dance
§ Historical Spectacular (reenactment / play)
§ Mason in Motion Historical Pageant
§ Tasting Spree / Taste fest
§ First Lady Contest (Miss Mason)
§ Mason Kangaroo Court
§ Purchasing Shares of Stock in the Celebration
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