What's planned so far to celebrate Tallahassee's bicentennial year? Find out here

It's Tallahassee's 200th birthday next year, and this town plans to celebrate and reflect.

Last December, the Leon County Commission decided to create a bicentennial steering committee, whose job it was to plan for the new year. Many of the members of that committee were local stakeholders, like Robert "Bob" Holladay, president of the Tallahassee Historical Society.

Its planning, in conjunction with Visit Tallahassee, has culminated in tallahasseeleoncounty200.com, the official website for the bicentennial. It features historical background and, most important of all, an evolving calendar packed with events and celebrations.

The historical society already has posted many events to the calendar, including seminars, field trips and guest speakers.

Planners want to highlight the city’s territorial period between 1821, when Florida was bought from Spain, and 1824, when it became a state.

"We anticipated that a lot of people were going to be afraid to talk about that part of our history," Holladay said. "All of these controversies come down to one fundamental question. That's the question of race. Is the question of race so overwhelming in this country's history that we can't deal with it?"

Another group with events in the new year is Theater with a Mission, which reveals new research by scholars and puts on performances of texts written hundreds of years ago and captivating reenactments.

They will look to host multicultural plays that look to "examine early territorial laws."

"One of the words that you keep hearing us say is 'diversity,' in terms of speaking to all sectors of the community," said Ben Gunter, the group's artistic director. "We're really interested in giving people many, many different ways of coming through this portal, coming into contact with Tallahassee and shaping the Tallahassee of the future."

Many of the events reflect this diverse approach, including a world religion day, a gospel celebration and others that look to welcome people of different faiths and backgrounds.

With a motto of "Ambitious from the Beginning," here's what you can expect next year:

A 'bicentennial' new year

Tallahassee and Leon County gets the party started by ringing in the new year to welcome the bicentennial. Tallahassee Downtown is hosting "the best party in 200 years," called the "New Year's Eve Countdown Downtown" at Cascades Park 6-10 p.m. Dec. 31. It's free and open to all ages.

The event features live music, with the likes of Brown Goose and Lili Forbes, as well as two fireworks shows, food trucks, local vendors and more. Participants of the Tallahassee Highland Games, scheduled for Feb. 3 and 4th, will be previewing their feats of strength by tossing a 200-pound ball to celebrate 200 years of our community.

Bicentennial Day at the Capitol

On Jan. 11, the city and county will be hosting activities from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Florida Capitol's courtyard. That's the Thursday of the first week of the annual 60-day legislative session, meaning a bevy of lawmakers from across the state will likely be in attendance.

Tracing the struggle for equality in the center of Florida's slave trade

On Jan. 14 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at St John Missionary Baptist Church on 2125 Keith Street, Dr. Patrick Mason, a descendant of the Rollins and Proctor families, will shine a light on the African American struggle for equality in Florida through Spanish Florida (1770s-1821) to enslavement (1821-1865) to the rise of Jim Crow (1865-1919). The event will be hosted by the Tallahassee African American Genealogical Society.

"The stories of Antonio Proctor, George Proctor, and Charles H. Rollins are used to discuss and illustrate each period," organizers say. "These stories are a source of inspiration, reminding us of the resilience and determination of those who fought for equality in the face of adversity."

Then on Jan. 28, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Parkview Hotel at Cascades Park at 414 W. Bloxham Ave., organizers will host a showing of “Invisible History: Middle Florida’s Hidden Roots,” which earned Professor Valerie Scoon a 2021 Suncoast Regional Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary.

"The film sheds light on the history of plantation slavery in North Florida," organizers say. "Leon County was the center of Florida’s slave trade and the wealthiest county in Florida up to the early stages of the Civil War."

Portraits of America: A Tallahassee Bicentennial Celebration

The Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra will be hosting a concert looking to "journey through America, past and present."

The show will open with a new commissioned work by Jennifer Higdon that captures the spirit of the Western Carolina mountains. The symphony will also perform Aaron Copland’s iconic Lincoln Portrait as well as William Grant Still’s “Afro-American” symphony, the first written by an African-American to be performed by a leading American orchestra.

'Musical heartbeat': Tallahassee Symphony melds music, art into bicentennial book

Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige "a brand-new photo-choreography work" is also on tap to celebrate Tallahassee’s past and present.

The event is set to be held Jan. 21-22 at the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall on the campus of Florida State University. Tickets will be $36-$60.

A bicentennial poetry jam

Poetry lovers near and far are invited to join in and share their poetry at the Bard’s Bicentennial Poetry Jam. Love of Shakespeare is not a pre-requisite. There will be plenty of vendors, local food trucks and breweries joining the event on March 16 at The Moon on East Lafayette Street.

Historical markers and a log cabin

A historical marker program is on tap, with markers explaining the founding of Tallahassee in Cascades Park. It will be dedicated to Tallahassee historians Dr. William Warren Rogers of FSU and Gerald Ensley, a legendary Tallahassee Democrat columnist, whose work has inspired the TLH 200 memorial bicentennial project at the Democrat.

Other historical markers in the works include a dedication for Father James Page at downtown's Bethel Baptist Church and a recognition of Anhaica, the Miccosukee capital. Other markers are also being discussed.

There also is a plan afoot build a replica of the original log cabin that housed the Florida Capitol.

"The first Capitol was a log cabin built in 1824 with the establishment of Tallahassee as the territorial capital," according to the Florida Capitol's official history. "In the early 1820s, legislators transferred government business from St. Augustine to Pensacola for alternating sessions. Travel was hazardous and took almost 20 days. As a result, Tallahassee was chosen as the capital of American Florida in 1824, primarily because it was the midway point between the two principal cities."

A public announcement for the project is planned at the City Commission meeting on Jan 17.

As the year goes by, more events will fill the calendar. Those with ideas or plans are welcome to submit events and community service projects on the website.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee marks its bicentennial this year: Here's what to expect