You turn 150 only once. Modesto has big plans for 2020 sesquicentennial
When Modestans ring in the new year, it’ll be time to party like it’s 1870.
It’s taken a year (and counting) to plan a year that celebrates Modesto’s 150 years. In January, a steering committee of about 15 people — a handful of city staffers, the rest from across the community — was created to plan the 2020 sesquicentennial festivities.
That committee has led to several subcommittees and community groups working to ensure the city of Water, Wealth, Contentment and Health celebrates in style.
The city itself is taking the lead on a couple of so-called signature events, spokesman Thomas Reeves said last week. Those are a citywide open house in May and the official 150th anniversary celebration in September.
But community groups, too, have projects and events in the works to mark the big year. One aims to get 150 murals painted around town. Another plans a photo installation in streetfront windows of the faces and history of Modesto. And the Downtown Modesto Partnership is working on a points-of-interest smartphone app that will be a guide to 150 Modesto landmarks, Reeves said.
Additionally, the city is asking organizers of a number of annual events — the Chamber of Commerce Gala, Porchfest, Mod Shop, Graffiti Summer and the Gala in Graceada, among them — to co-brand for 2020.
(Click here for information on co-branding your event)
Beyond events, the sesquicentennial celebration, being called Modesto150, also will include a special website and a coffee table book to be produced by the Chamber of Commerce and sold as a fundraiser.
The site, modesto150.com, already is up. It will be fluid as details and events are added throughout 2020, but goes well beyond serving as a calendar. Its history section digs much deeper than things most commonly associated with Modesto, such as George Lucas, E.&J. Gallo Winery and the car culture. It includes pages on the Women’s Improvement Club, Asian settlement, the pioneering of curbside recycling and more.
Signature events
The citywide open house is scheduled for what’s been the city’s Public Works Day, which also is when it has presented the Family Cycling Festival downtown. On May 16, a Saturday, the city will welcome visitors to as many of its facilities as possible, from Tenth Street Place to the wastewater treatment plant to the senior center to the Police Department to, probably, a fire station in each council district, Reeves said. The McHenry Mansion and McHenry Museum also would be open, as usual.
In some cases, he said, there will be tour guides available, or staff on hand to answer questions and provide information about services and employment.
The September celebration, the date for which has not been finalized, Reeves said, has taken a big turn from what originally was discussed. “Originally, the idea was a concert festival,” he said. “It was going to be a fenced-off downtown with a ticketed event of four major concerts.” That event, envisioned as sort of a black-and-white ball, would have been on a Saturday, with a free, family-oriented festival to follow the next day.
(Click here to see anniversary coverage in 1920)
“But we heard loud and clear as we started to tell the public about this event that that’s not what they wanted,” he said. Because when renowned entertainers are brought into town, the concerts become about them, when people want the sesquicentennial to be about Modesto.
So the celebration, which has yet to be named, was “completely retooled,” Reeves said. It will be admission-free and about everything Modesto: its artists and craftspeople, its musicians and other performers, its wineries and craft breweries, its chefs, its meats, cheeses and other foods. And, of course, it will include a car show.
Themes throughout the year
Each month of the sesquicentennial year will have a theme that will guide the Modesto150 social media posts and, to some extent, activities. May, for instance, is Agriculture & Industry month. The focus will be on what Modesto is known for and has to celebrate in those areas. “Why is agriculture part of our story? That kind of stuff,” Reeves said. “So that helps for social media, but it also helps for community organizations who may want to participate in this yearlong celebration.”
The year’s themes are: January, history; February, location; March, parks and outdoors; April, community; May, ag and industry; June, hometown heroes; July, hometown pride; August, small-town feel; September, education; October, culture; November, economy and small business; and December, arts and entertainment.
Organizations may propose official events by going to modesto150.com/submit. To be considered, an event must have strong ties to the Modesto community, past, present and future, according to a city flyer.
To learn more about the sesquicentennial and stay updated, visit modesto150.com. A Modesto150 page on Facebook also is planned.
If you have a fond memory or story about Modesto, share it with us by emailing Deke Farrow at jfarrow@modbee.com. Please keep your response to 150 words. Some of the submissions may be printed in The Modesto Bee.
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
