The Indiana Bicentennial Commission announced Monday the fourth round of endorsed legacy projects, bringing the official number of Bicentennial Legacy Projects to 103.
The word is spreading about community organizations becoming Bicentennial partners through the Commission’s Legacy Project endorsement process. Twenty-eight Bicentennial Legacy Project Endorsement Applications were approved by the Commission at its October 3, 2014 meeting. The projects represent 18 counties including Dearborn, Jay, Marshall, Martin, Montgomery, Owen, Parke and Porter counties which are first-time applicants.
Recording the American Perspective, the collaboration between the Weidner School of Inquiry at Plymouth High School and the Marshall County Museum and Historical Society’s project to digitally recorded stories from local WWII veterans was accepted.
The project received overwhelming response from local veteran, some of whom had never spoke of the things they saw and had to do over there. The school and museum had hoped to have a dozen veterans record their stories and more than 40 participated. Last week the museum opened the new project with dozens of WWII veterans on hand, several WSOI students as well as the community.
“Our goal is to celebrate 200 years of statehood, preserve and showcase evidence of the past and positively affect the future of Indiana as the creation of a state parks program did for the Centennial in 1916,” said 2016 Indiana Bicentennial Commission endorsement committee chairwoman Ellen M. Rosenthal, president and CEO of Conner Prairie. “In communities throughout the state, people are excited and ready to honor Indiana’s history. Together, we can celebrate in ways that engage all 6.5 million Hoosiers and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”
Communities can actively take part in making Indiana’s bicentennial history by creating legacy projects that reflect what makes Indiana great “right in their own backyard.” Applications for endorsement are reviewed and presented for approval at each scheduled commission meeting. Legacy projects must be open and accessible to the public, achievable, fundable without Commission support and relevant to Indiana and the state’s bicentennial.
A full list of endorsed Bicentennial Legacy Projects can be found at: www.indiana2016.org/BicentennialLegacyProjects.
