February 8, 2007
It's unfortunate that fast-paced lives and increasing responsibilities have thus far prevented anyone from stepping forward to direct a city-wide spring celebration of the150th anniversary. The people and events that forged the city of Prescott during its first 150 years deserve to be remembered and honored.
Thanks to business leader Char Magee there is an offer to make the city's sesquicentennial the theme of this September's Prescott Daze weekend. However, according to "The History of Prescott, Wisconsin: A River city and Farming Community on the St. Croix and Mississippi" by Dorothy Eaton Ahlgren and Mary Cotter Beeler, the village of Prescott officially became the city of Prescott on April 6, 1857.
That would seem to indicate that an April celebration is more appropriate timing for an official celebration. Granted, issues confronting the newly formed municipality were less complicated and far less proscribed by state and federal laws in those days; but no less challenging or time consuming for leaders simply trying to keep their own businesses afloat or continuing to thrive.
City administrator Elizabeth Frueh and assistant city administrator Jayne Brand have confirmed that city hall staff is not involved in planning for an April event. Mayor Mike Hunter has indicated that after the 2004 Grand Excursion and events surrounding the grand opening of Freedom Park and the Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center last year it was time for the city to take a break from event planning.
"It's not that we don't want to be involved and support an anniversary celebration," Hunter said, "we just don't have the time or people right now to devote to taking on another major event."
Hunter also noted that if someone approaches the city council with a well-conceived plan it's possible the city could come up with some "incubator money" to help fund an earlier celebration.
Prescott Area Historical Society leader Jerry Voje said that group is independently organizing a gallery of city historical photographs and art at the Welcome & Heritage Center tracking the city's business and cultural development through the years. He said the group is not engaged in any planning of an overall celebration.
All of those factors are pretty discouraging, given that Red Wing, Minn., just down and across the Mississippi River already is well underway planning its 150th anniversary this year. It has gone so far at this point as seeking sesquicentennial recipes as one measure of its planning.
Our town's rich history deserves to be marked by its leaders and citizens nearer the official date of its incorporation. That's particularly true at a time when Prescott is on the verge of major new commercial, residential and business development that was began by evolutionary efforts of civic and business leaders 150 years ago.
As Char Magee remarked last week, "... if someone
wants to come forward with a plan for a spring date that everyone would
be delighted to listen and endorse it in some form." Now is the proper
time.
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