LEWISBURG — Planning is under way for the Village of Lewisburg’s bicentennial celebration, a three- day event to be held Sept. 7-9, 2018.

Bicentennial planning meetings are being held on the third Monday of every other month, with the next meeting scheduled for Monday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewisburg Community Center.

Planning for the celebration began a year ago. According to Chairman of Bicentennial Pam Baker, the committee originally thought that was too early, but have found that they need all the time they can get.

She said, “There’s a lot of planning going into it and a lot of things you run up against that you don’t realize you’ve got to do and get done.”

The bicentennial celebration is not simply the thee-day celebration, but rather a year-long event. Every month of 2018 there will be some sort of celebration.

Baker added, “We want to make the celebration history-related. We want to have reenactments, we want to have crafts like basket weaving. I know we will have to have some other things, but we would like to keep it what it used to be. It will all be at the Historical Society, the Park, and the Community Association. Nothing will be uptown other than the parade.”

The aforementioned parade is actually what will kick off the celebration in September 2018. This is not the only big event the Bicentennial Committee has planned, however.

Events for the bicentennial will include: a baseball game, a 5K run, a cemetery tour, an old fashioned tea, and a car show. However, there is not a complete schedule yet. Baker added, there will be music as well.

The celebration will also feature a buried time capsule. It will be opened on Sept. 7, 2018, and reburied on Sept. 9, 2018.

There will also be a mural painted on the side of the firehouse, depicting the Village of Lewisburg from a 1920s-1930s downtown view.

The year-long celebration will begin on Dec. 31, with a birthday party held at the Community Association. It will feature fireworks and a birthday cake.

The committee has big plans for the celebration, which requires them to raise a lot of money. They are mostly doing this through fundraisers and sales of memorabilia, including a new village book, t-shirts, a Lewisburg Monopoly game, afghans, and bicentennial flags. Price point for items are not yet decided.

The village book will actually be the third in the series. Businesses are adding their updated information to tell about their business. Lewisburg businesses are also able to sponsor the game to be featured. Most of the sponsors for the celebration are coming through the game. For the game, Baker has to raise over $8,000.

“I’m hoping some of the bigger places will see what’s going on and maybe help us,” Baker added, pertaining to raising money for the celebration. “But if they don’t, they don’t. Lewisburg has always got it done — we’ll make it happen.”

Currently, news of the celebration is being spread through social media (Facebook) and word of mouth, but that is expected to change soon. The committee will be opening a Lewisburg Bicentennial storefront to spread the news of the celebration. The ribbon cutting is slated for the beginning of May.

If anyone wishes to donate to the Lewisburg Bicentennial fund, the committee has an account set up at LCNB bank anyone can donate to. They are also seeking donations of old pictures. The committee is always seeking volunteers, specifically at the storefront. Vendors are also needed. More information can be found on the celebration at lewisburg.webs.com/bicentennial or on the Lewisburg Bicentennial page on Facebook.

If interested in helping out in any way, you can reach Bicentennial Chairman Baker at 937-962-2190 or at [email protected].