Peru officials are seeking volunteers to help organize a celebration of the town’s bicentennial Oct. 2. A full committee is needed to plan events, Chairman Tammi Lyons said. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
PERU — A final push is being made for volunteers to help celebrate the town’s bicentennial on Oct. 2.
For two years, an effort has been made to get people to serve on a committee to organize the celebration but there’s been little success.
Selectperson Tammi Lyons told the Select Board on July 26 that volunteers are needed to make it happen.
“I’m certainly willing to put in the work, but I’m not going to do this by myself,” said Lyons, who is heading the committee. “There is definitely still time to do something, but not without help.”
Town Clerk Debbie Coudrain and Selectperson Lynda Hebert are assisting, along with a resident who told Lyons she would serve.
Recently, Lyons and Coudrain organized a committee meeting, but no one else attended. They’re giving one final push to organize a celebration of the incorporation of the town in 1821.
A meeting for those willing to be on the committee or at least volunteer will be held at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Town Hall. Those interested can also contact the Town Office at 562-4627.
The committee will decide on the activities, possibly including a parade, the snowmobile club or ATV club serving hamburgers/hot dogs, and local musicians.
Lyons believes the town has $400 allocated for the event.
“We have basically no money to spend,” she said, “so anything we do, we’re going to have to raise that money and go from there.”
She said one idea was to take orders and payment for bicentennial T-shirts.
“There’s no out-of-pocket costs because we’re only going to order what’s sold, she said.”
For Peru’s sesquicentennial on Oct. 2, 1971, a time capsule with items enclosed in a copper capsule made and donated by Diamond Match Corp., was buried under the walk in front of the Peru War Memorial. A duplicate set of capsule contents was placed in a box in the town vault. The plan is to open that box Oct. 2.
As a youngster, Hebert recalled burying the time capsule with her father, Glen Tompkins, along with Bob Dolloff, Sharon Kennedy and Sharon Worthley.
Lyons said there was also a box that was supposed to be opened after 25 years but never was so the plan is to open it this year.
Organized in 1812 as Plantation Number 1 (also Thompsontown), Peru was incorporated on Feb. 5, 1821, as the 240th town in Maine. It was named in the spirit of liberty and solidarity for the country of Peru, which declared independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
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