FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: 10.21.14
CONTACT: Jay Lamar, Alabama Bicentennial Commission, 334-353-3163; jay.lamar@bicentennial.alabama.gov
Alabama Bicentennial Commission Names Committees
HUNTSVILLE-The Alabama Bicentennial Commission announced committees and co-chairs for the state’s bicentennial commemoration at a Tuesday press conference at Constitution Hall Village.
The committees will focus on statewide initiatives, local activities and education related to the 200th anniversary of statehood.
“We wanted the committees in place early,” said Alabama Bicentennial Commission chair Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur). “With lead time, the talent on these committees can create programs that will have a lasting impact, especially in areas of education, tourism and economic development.”
Al Head, executive director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and Donna Cox Baker, editor-in-chief of Alabama Heritage magazine, will chair the Statewide Initiatives Committee. Their group will oversee traveling exhibitions, publications, documentaries and other statewide commemoration efforts.
Tami Reist, director of the North Alabama Lakes Tourism Association, and Carrie Banks of the Alabama League of Municipalities will lead the Local Activities Committee. Their committee will develop and support local activities, including history projects, festivals and historical marker dedications.
Steve Murray, director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, and Karen Porter of the Alabama State Department of Education, are co-leading the Education Committee. The committee will include a range of educational entities, including schools, museums and parks.
“We couldn’t be more fortunate to have this level of leadership,” noted Orr. “Alabama is going to set the standard for bicentennial commemorations.”
In late 2013, the Alabama Legislature and Gov. Robert Bentley established the Alabama Bicentennial Commission to promote and coordinate commemorative activities across the state. Executive director Jay Lamar said the commission seeks to encourage communities, schools, businesses and cultural institutions across Alabama to use the bicentennial to explore the state’s history and heritage, as well as create opportunities for the future.
The commission will begin active programs in 2017, following the sequence of events from the creation of the Alabama Territory in 1817 to the actual bicentennial date on December 14, 2019.
For more information, visit www.Alabama200.org or contact Jay Lamar at jay.lamar@bicentennial.alabama.gov, 334-353-3163.