The Missouri legislature officially recognized Fayette’s Bicentennial on Saturday afternoon during a presentation at the Fayette Festival of the Arts. Representative Tim Taylor, R-48, presented Mayor Jeremy Dawson  with a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives. The House passed the resolution on July 27, and Rep. Taylor’s office purchased a frame for the document.

“This is exciting,” Taylor told the gathered crowd. “Congratulations to this town. You have a long history to look back on, and a long future to look forward to.”

Following the presentation, middle school student Sida Gregory delivered a presentation about the 200-year history of Fayette.

The Bicentennial Ceremony concluded with the presentation of the contents of the time capsule that was was recently unearthed from the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn. When it was buried in at the conclusion of the the town’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1973, four Fayette youths were tasked with returning to the square when the capsule would be opened and the included items distributed. Dennis Street, Lorraine (Jackman) Sanders, and Roberta (Carson) Webster, made true to that pledge, reading aloud the names and groups who contributed to the capsule’s contents. The fourth person, Edward Dickey, had unfortunately passed away. Of the 70 items in the time capsule, 50 were claimed on Saturday afternoon.

The Fayette Bicentennial Committee is still accepting items to be included in the next time capsule, that will be buried beneath the courthouse lawn during the Central Methodist University Homecoming on Saturday, October 28. The cost to include an item is $10.