Planning is underway in earnest for the nation's upcoming semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary. The Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (America 250-Ohio) is encouraging at least 250 communities across the state to be official America 250-Ohio Communities with their own planning committees.
Hamilton County is heeding the call and looking for people to join. Clerk of Courts Pavan Parikh and Cincinnati Museum Center CEO Elizabeth Pierce are co-chairing .
Parikh tells WVXU they're looking for 10 to 20 people to join the committee.
"We are pulling together [this group] to ensure that we've got great community representation to collect information about events that communities are already planning on doing to celebrate America 250, and distribute that information to Hamilton County at large," Parikh says.
"It's also an opportunity to have some of these smaller communities come together with ideas, and we could potentially apply for grant funding with the state to try to actualize some more of these big events that we're trying to do next year to celebrate America 250."
He says they're looking for a diverse group from a wide cross-section of the county. They've received a few applications so far, but are calling for more people to apply. The process involves filling out a standard .
It's a volunteer position, and he expects the group to meet monthly or quarterly.
"What makes a good person to be on this committee is someone who's very interested in history and bringing people together, focusing on celebrating America 250," he explains. "They don't have to have any particular background. We want people that can be point people in their communities, with their organizations, with their industries, that can help us collect information about what's already happening and distribute information out so we can ensure that everyone's events are successful."
Some events are already in the works, including the county's signature kick-off event: the America's River Roots festival.
