Planning for the Fayette Bicentennial celebration is well underway. Fayette will celebrate its 200th birthday with various activities throughout the year, beginning next month.

The celebration kicks off on Sunday, April 2, with a cooperative event as the Fayette Area Community Theater (FACT) holds its annual meeting from 7 until 9 p.m. at Tricky Fish Community Hall on South Main Street. The public is invited for light refreshments, music, and pleasant entertainment. Photographs from the Jacobs collection documenting the 1973 Sesquicentennial will be on hand. 

The Fayette Bicentennial Committee has elected to hold future events in conjunction with the long-running Fayette Juneteenth celebration and Independence Day. 

The most anticipated event will be the opening of the time capsule that was buried on the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn during the 1973 Sesquicentennial. The capsule will be unearthed during the Fayette Festival of the Arts on the first weekend in August. A new time capsule will then be filled and buried in its place.

The committee has released a new logo for the Bicentennial celebration, designed by Stephanie Ford, the owner of Sheepdog Creations downtown and East Ward Alderwoman. The new logo is outlined in the shape of Howard County, which spawned 30 counties in Missouri from its original form in 1819. The logo is enhanced with the stars and stripes of our country, and the courthouse clock tower in the center keeps us mindful of the fact that time is never still. 

This logo will adorn banners that will be placed around town, as well as clothing and souvenir items available throughout the year.