Liberty County is getting ready for more than 250th anniversary.
The 250 Liberty committee has been at work preparing for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States this summer — and next year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of Liberty County.
“We have been working for two years to pull together information and try to decide how we should celebrate Liberty County’s rich history,” said Michelle Ricketson, co-chair of the 250 Liberty committee. “We came up with a couple of different ways to do that.”
Plans for a parade in June are taking shape and the committee also is working with partners on a possible concert and fireworks show A Liberty Bell replica that can be moved around the county for special events has been created, and the committee encourages residents to take a picture with the bell. The committee is in talks with a billboard company and as space permits, those photos, using a hashtag the committee created, can be featured on billboards across the community, Ricketson said.
Also in the works are window clings with a QR code that will take people to the 250Liberty.net website and a calendar of events. Street banners with “Sweet Land of Liberty” also are planned to be distributed.
“We are trying to have a united front in this celebratory year for our country,” Ricketson said.
Liberty County was home to two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Button Gwinnett and Lyman Hall, and Ricketson pointed out it has a tie to the third signer, George Walton, also had ties to Liberty County. A judge, Walton had a home in Sunbury he used when making his rounds.
“We have an incredibly rich history,” Ricketson said. “That history continues to be rich. We’re still making history today. We want to continue to celebrate that history.”
A smaller Liberty Bell with the word Liberty translated into 37 languages — one for each language identified as spoken in Liberty County — is being made available. Hinesville is the first city to receive one.
“We wanted our residents and visitors to read the word ‘liberty’ in their native tongue,” Ricketson said. “They will understand that liberty is here in the modern day.”
The Liberty Bell logo and shape will be essential to the committee’s merchandise and memorabilia. There will be T-shirts with the Liberty Bell logo and new wayfinding signs using the Liberty Bell’s shape.
“We are using the Liberty Bell shape in almost everything we are doing,” Ricketson said. “You are going to see the Liberty Bell everywhere.”
The committee meets on the second Thursday of each month at Hinesville City Hall from 11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.