OGDEN -- The conceptual blueprint for Ogden City's 14-month-long 150th birthday party got a swift stamp of approval from City Council members Tuesday night.
A sesquicentennial celebration scheduled to kick off Dec. 31, 2000, and wrap up with the 2002 Winter Olympics will feature:
Construction of a historical park adjacent to the newly remodeled Municipal Building.
A variety of events "remembering the past, celebrating the past and looking towards the future."
Development of an interactive CD that will promote and teach Ogden history.
An ethnic/cultural festival in March 2001 that will recognize the community's cultural diversity through the arts, food, dance and other forms of entertainment.
Citywide beautification projects.
A sesquicentennial gala in early January 2002 that will cap off the yearlong observance of Ogden's 150th birthday during 2001.
And a 150th anniversary celebration on Feb. 6, 2001, complete with entertainment, fireworks and a self-imposed ceiling on political speechmaking.
That's not all, folks.
The biggest party schedule in city history also will include the possible acquisition of a home in Ogden's historic district for a city historical museum, the design of a sesquicentennial logo, selection of an anniversary flower bulb that will be planted throughout the city, staging a historic play and organizing a film festival around a Western or railroading theme.
Council members approved the conceptual plan for the celebration -- a nine-page document hammered out by the Ogden City Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee -- without comment as part of their common consent calendar Tuesday night.
Chaired by former Ogden Mayor A. Stephen Dirks, the committee has been working on the Sesquicentennial proposal for months. The final document emphasizes a broad range of events and activities that will focus on community heritage and pride.
Committee members also agree the city's all-year birthday bash should augment but not attempt to supplant other ongoing historic and cultural celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, Pioneer Days and the Greek and Obon festivals. "The SAC committee is not supportive of changing any of these celebrations," the report noted, adding that the city should simply "encourage event organizers to incorporate the Sesquicentennial theme within each event." Key goals of community improvement projects such as the historical park and museum, the committee added, will be creation of a historical legacy for future Ogden residents and building community pride through beautification efforts. "Activities should be self-supporting and low-cost to encourage community participation," the committee noted. Once a final celebration plan is approved, committee members will prepare a proposed budget and submit it to the council for approval. When the funding is in place, the SAC committee will begin recruiting volunteers to serve on various subcommittees charged with organizing and carrying out each program or event.