Wayne County New York Bicentennial: 1823 – 2023
By Gene Bavis
On June 3, 1971 I received a letter from Donald G. Colvin, Chairman of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors inviting me to participate in the planning for the Wayne County Sesquicentennial in 1973. Little did I know that a few months later that I would be Co-Chair of that planning committee. Well, it has happened again! I was appointed as Co-Chair of the Wayne County Bicentennial Committee on April 16, 2019 along with Larry Ann Evans, Director of the Wayne County Historical Society.
Wayne County will be 200 years old on April 11, 2023. A committee was formed and has met several times since being formed. Some of the projects that the County Committee is working on include:
- PowerPoint presentations to share the Bicentennial story with any group who will invite us to share the story
- A 2022-2023 Calendar full of historic photos and interesting facts
- An activity book for younger children
- Display panels about various aspects of Wayne County history and cultural heritage
- Bicentennial logo signage to call attention to our celebration
- Historic markers commemorating the founding of each town
- Publication of a book or books about Wayne County
- Creation of a brochure about each Town (each town’s brochure similar in format & design)
- Creation of Bicentennial Minutes (short video presentations on dozens of topics) for social media
- Special Pictorial Postal Cancellations commemorating our history & heritage
- Creation of Wayne County Bicentennial souvenirs and memorabilia
- Tours of Wayne County’s many historic sites
- Creation of a Wayne County Photo Quilt and Poster
- A Wayne County NY Challenge based on the Wayne County historic sites database
- Creation of a Bicentennial Float to be in MANY local parades over the next 3 years
- Geocaching
- A 200-mile Torch Relay in 2023 that goes through every town in the county
- A special ceremony in Lyons (our county seat) on 4/11/2023
There is a page on the Wayne County Website under “Departments.” Look for “Wayne County Bicentennial.” As of August, 2020 there is not much information on the site, but we hope to add many more pages this fall.
In addition to what is happening at the County level, the Wayne County Bicentennial Committee has asked each Town Supervisor to create a committee in each town to plan and carry out projects at the town level and to help promote county-wide events. Supervisor Jacobs asked Town Board Member, Amber Linson to organize a committee for Walworth. Approximately 20 Walworth citizens representing most local groups have agreed to serve on this committee. The committee is meeting regularly. For more information you can contact Chairperson, Amber Linson or me.
We hope that YOU will take part in some of the Bicentennial activities and help celebrate our rich cultural heritage here in Wayne County.
There are bicentennial pages on the Wayne County website: www.waynecounty200.com
If you use Facebook, I urge you to find “Wayne County NY Bicentennial 2023” and LIKE it. There will be lots of photos and information posted there over the next 3 years.
The Walworth Historical Society has these Bicentennial items available for $15 each. They make great gifts.
