Illinois celebrates its Bicentennial in 2018. The Illinois Bicentennial Coordinating Committee of Springfield seeks to work with a diverse and inclusive group of community partners to celebrate the Bicentennial in 2018. Through coordination, Springfield can provide bicentennial activities that allow a discussion of our area’s complex history to serve as the entry point for a vision of our community 100 years from now. When our shared past serves as a gateway for our brightest possible future, history becomes a continuing narrative. Our present story is history’s next chapter.

Goals

• Knowing that many groups and organizations in Springfield will want to celebrate the state’s 2018 bicentennial, this committee intends to serve as a central coordination point for the community.
• Having a central coordinating point for the bicentennial has several purposes, foremost to aid in connecting interested members of our community with others who have similar ideas, projects and plans for the bicentennial celebration.
• A central coordinating point will also avoid duplicative efforts among groups and facilitate a centralized calendar of events and website, to help publicize all bicentennial activities and events to interested audiences.
• This committee will initiate conversations with a diverse group of civic and cultural leaders, faith groups, educational groups, and many others to invite full and inclusive community participation in the Springfield area’s bicentennial efforts.