Celebrating is as easy as 1, 2, 3, 200.

The bicentennial is not only about what happened 200 years in the past. It’s about every Missourian, how we became who we are, and our hopes and dreams for Missouri’s future — we all have a part in it. 

Be part of the bicentennial

1. Find one item to represent your past. This could be a short history of your family.
2. Pick one item to represent your present.
3. And finally, write a note to the future about your hopes for yourself (your family, your business), your relationship to those hopes, their place in Jefferson City’s life, or maybe something entirely different.

I am so excited to do a time capsule for my store, Carrie’s Hallmark Shop. Mom and dad almost didn’t open the store, and they were skeptical when Hallmark approached them in 1976 with interest in having a store in downtown Jefferson City. Now, 45 years later, we’ve had a part in so many personal celebrations and memories for others. For our Hallmark time capsule, I’ll be including an ad, a photo of the store and current staff, a flyer, information about current items for sale, and, of course, a Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs Keepsake ornament.

This time capsule doesn’t need to be buried for 200 years. Celebrate it. Enjoy and retrieve it perhaps for birthdays or holidays so you can revisit, reminisce, and realize your place in Missouri’s history at this very moment in time.

For my family, I’ll tell the story of my grandfather George, who was born in Greece but proudly proclaimed himself an American. Inspired when he saw our Capitol for the first time, he settled in Jefferson City and lived and worked within a block of the Capitol building. To this day, there are many moments when I am in awe of the Capitol, and I am reminded of how it impressed my grandfather and so many more. Imagine a young boy seeing the Capitol so new and knowing his roots would be planted here because of it.

And for me, I’ll tell the story of what it’s like to be the second woman to be elected mayor of Jefferson City, leading through some of the best and most challenging times in our city’s history, including a tornado and a pandemic, while still moving forward with projects like the bridge to connect to our riverfront and the redevelopment of the historic Missouri State Penitentiary site.

Let’s get started

Organizations, institutions, businesses, and local and state government agencies in Missouri are invited to submit items by going to Missouri2021.org and clicking the community engagement projects and bicentennial time capsule link to submit and mail time capsule tidbits and items to be included.

 Take this opportunity to make your own time capsule and tell your story. If you’re a student, perhaps make a time capsule for your school or class. This is something we can all do to capture this moment in time. Reflect on how and why we got here, how wonderful it is to be in Missouri, and showcase our own MO inspiration