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By RIorcILi Sycovcc
When the sparks of the United State's
bicentennial celebration fade away, Don
Searcy, executive director of Nebraska's
American Revolution Bicentennial
Commission, said he hopes the spirit of
the Bicentennial win stay.
"The Bicentennial has helped get 215
million people working together in some
way," Searcy said, and hopefully the
projects and cooperation will continue
into the future.
The IS member Nebraska Bicentennial
Commission was appointed by Gov. J.
James Exon to coordinate and aid the
scheduling of events and projects to
commemorate the nation's 200th
birthday, Searcy said. The members were
appointed in June, 1972 and are serving
6-year terms.
"The function of any commission is to
reflect the thinking of the people as well
as it can, Searcy said. Determining ways
citizens can best' participate in the
bicentennial, suggesting ways to continue
bicentennial projects after July 4, and
making people aware of the Bicentennial .
are concerns of the commission, he said.
A ''bicentennial community is one
which has filled out an application
approved by Washington D.C. for having
programs commemorating the
bicentennial, he said. .
Nebraska projects
Some Nebraska projects so far have
been the restoration of a baled hay
church in Arthur, all-ethnic festivals in
Omaha and Hastings, the development of
Norfolk's Liberty Bell Park, and the
Interstate 80 Sculpture Project.
"A time capsule containing an auto
mobile was buried in Seward, Nebraska's
official fourth of July city, last year,
Searcy said. "It takes a lot of cooperation
to get somebody to donate a car for
burial in a time capsule," he said. The
time capsule also has a section for 1976
artifacts, he said, and w2 be opened in
2025.
Youth have played important roles in
bicentennial projects, he said. In several
communities, grade school children wrote
a letter to Washington D.C. asking if their
small town could be a bicentennial
community.
' "Because of the bicentennial, organi
zations like "the Nebraska Humanities
Council and the Council for the Arts may
be strengthened, Searcy said. The
organizations can help carry out com
munity potentials in the future, he-said.
Searcy said, the commissions funds are
in two categories:
administrative funds of approximate
ly ""$25,000 for fiscal 1976 from the
American Revolution Bicentennail Ad
ministration (ARBA) and $33,860 from
the state. 1
nondministrative funds which can
be usedfor publications, programs and
mementos. These funds are obtained
from the sale of bicentennial medallions
and souvenirs.
Corporation seCs souvenirs
' Searcy said the commission does not
handle the buying and selling of
Bicentennial souvenirs. The Bicentennial
Corporation, 619 Sharp Building at 13th
and N Streets, sells the souvenirs.
The corporation consists of two
corporate holders, four part-time sales
people and herself, according to Linda
..Coonrod. Coonrod does bookkeeping,
bicentennial
sdovbm.
ordering, shipping and other office duties
for the corporation. A percentage of the
profits from sales goes back to the
commission, she said.
Spoons, beEs, soli
Charms, collectors spoons, beSs and
decals are the best selling items, Coonrod
; said. Communities take items' : on
consignment; set their own prices and
return those which are not sold, she said.
The corporation's future will be
determined at a meeting this month, she
said. Either an auction w2I be held July 3
to sell what is on hand, or it will remain
open until September 8.
Although there are some complaints
about commercialization, people seem to
get very interested . in. bicentennial,
according to Barb Henderson, Lincoln's
bicentennial chairpersons." "People are
glad to see that special things are being
done, she said.
The Lincoln Bicentennial Committee
has planned a downtown parade for June.
26, and has prepared a State Bicentennial
Commission slide show and published a
history of Lincoln which wCl soon be
available, she saM. The committee has
raised about $1000 and received a
$10,000 grant for the restoration of
Lincoln's City Hall, for the preservation
of the Lincoln Federal Building and for
the construction of' a performing arts
center,she said.
m Different goals .
The goals for America's 200th
anniversary celebration differ from the
goals of the centennial celebration,
Searcy said.
. "In 1 876; the country was attempting
to show the world that the documents it
was based on held true in spite of the
Civil War, he said. "We were also trying
to show that we were more than an
e-meimmf ' nation" anH that we had tha
technology and the curiosity to make us a
world leader."
"But in 1975, we don't need these
goats, we ve gone inrougn our internal
problems without a real revolution and
shown the world that the system works,
Searcy said.
"What we are concerned with now is
how to keep Americans from abusing the
freedom to choose between apathy: and
awareness."
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