Leonard at large

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Next year will be the Sesquicentennial year for Vernon County ? its 150th anniversary. It is coming fast ? are you going to be ready? Many things will take place during the celebration.

(Sesquicentennial ? I still cannot pronounce it, hopefully I will achieve this in another year.)

Betty Pitts and Helen Emery are hard at work heading up the committee for ?The Vernon County Sesquicentennial History Book.? Betty said that some committee members they were counting to with the book have resigned. The major task that they are facing at the present time is to edit the history stories. They are in need of volunteers to help with the editing. Betty said that they have a big stack to go through.

The stories, limited to 300 words, and the pictures were originally due on Dec. 1, but that deadline has been extended to Feb.1. This gives folks some additional time to get the information to the committee. Due to some recent events, this date may possibly be extended another 30 days.

Are you a person who puts off doing things until the last minute and then has to work under pressure? I will admit that is what I do. I was asked by the McGennis Youth Center to write a story on the history of the center. Yes, I was relieved when they announced on Dec. 1 that the due date was put off two months. I still have not gotten it done and am now beginning to feel the pressure. Remember, if you have not gotten your story in yet, there is some time. The committee wants to include everyone living in Vernon County or having lived in Vernon County at some point, as well as stories about clubs, organizations, schools, and churches.

The history book is going to be one great book, thanks to the leadership of those dedicated individuals working on this project. It will become a special collector?s item. At present you can still get in on the early bird special and purchase your copy for only $75.

The other day I saw on TV where another town is celebrating its Sesquicentennial.

The townspeople have made it a law for all men in the town to have a beard. Those who do not have a beard will be arrested. Those arrested will fined $10 fine (volunteer) and will receive a certificate to exempt them from a beard.

I remember when dad was wearing a beard to celebrate Bates County Centennial in 1956. I believe that he received an award for his growth, but he was glad to get it shaved off. At this point, I might rather pay the fine.

The Centennial celebration for Vernon County and Nevada was a huge success.

I was not here for the event, but I have heard many great comments about the celebration.

What we need this year is for some of the folks that remember and took part of the Centennial to tell us about the experience.

There was a pageant which was hugely successful. They made a profit from of this event and used the proceeds to purchase the land where the youth fair is held. They were going to give the land to the youth fair, but the fair board suggested that it should be given to the people of Vernon County to be used more than three or four days a year. It became the Centennial Park and Fair Grounds, belonging to all of the people of the county.

Recently, it was reported in an article following a meeting of the IMPACT Nevada Tourism that a need for an indoor arena was introduced. IMPACT stands for Involved Members (all of the community) Promoting And Creating Tourism. There are some who would like to see an indoor arena in the community for the Sesquicentennial.

It could be used as a multi-purpose building and a variety of events could be held there. It could even be used as a convention center. The Centennial Park and Fair Grounds came in existence as result of the Centennial. Wouldn?t it be neat if an indoor arena could be built for next year?s celebration? One of the IMPACT committee members said that it will depend on the community if an indoor arena is built. There maybe a question of where it would be located. If it was at the fairgrounds it could enhance the youth fair greatly. Such a facility could also be built near Champion Diamonds or in some other location.

There is an interest by some people for an indoor arena and there is information being obtained about arenas in other communities. It was my intention to do more research on this subject, but I did not get it done, so far. There are several communities that have an indoor arena and they are used frequently. Most of them host a horse show nearly every week. The possibilities for events are nearly unlimited.

There is a major effort to promote tourism in the community. An indoor arena would help in this promotion effort and bring more people into the community. If such a facility could be a reality, it would be exciting. As a community, there is a need to think big ? as long as it is feasible. Individuals will be obtaining information from other communities about their arenas ? how they were built, the use of the facilities, and how they are maintained There will be more discussion taking place in the community on this subject within the next few months.

We are in for a great Sesquicentennial. Get yourselves ready. If an indoor arena becomes a reality for the event, it could be beneficial to the community.