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300th Anniversary Celebration Committee The 300th Anniversary Celebration Committee was estab- lished by the Board of Selectmen in January of 2007 as a sub - committee of the Town Celebrations Committee. The Lexington 300th Anniversary Celebration Committee was charged to: • Assess public interest in pursuing a town -wide celebration to commemorate the 300th year of Lexington's founding; • Recommend a series of events to celebrate Lexington's tercentennial; and • Oversee the implementation of the events. Thanks to the incredible work of our Committee and sub- committees, and the support of so many people in our com- munity, we fulfilled our charge. Early community meetings indicated that there was town -wide interest. We recommend- ed and then supported events for the community, provided communications throughout the media, inspired and encour- aged other organizations to provide coordinating events, and worked with our schools and other town departments. To accomplish the work involved with a 9 -month celebra- tion, our Committee grew in number in FY13. We were fortunate to have several dedicated volunteers express willingness to move up to the Committee level after their events were complete, and several volunteers from the PR Team were willing to join the Committee while continuing their weekly work for the 300th. This leadership team was, in turn, supported by a large Events Team, a large PR Team, and 2,700 volunteers who were all willing to give their time and energy to create Lexington's longest celebration. Programming, Events and Volunteers Initial Plans In 2011, our event co- chairs Tanya Morrisett and Jessie Steigerwald outlined a plan for a nine -month celebration with a wide variety of events that were designed to attract people of all ages while honoring the many different facets of life in Lexington since 1713. This plan suggested a fall 2012 kick -off with an Opening Ceremony, Country Fair and Intergenerational Dance, a fundraiser fashion show or play, a Lyceum or First Night type of event and a Closing Weekend with a grand finale featuring local musicians. Community Meetings The 300th Committee's first public events were a series of "Community Meetings" designed to inform and invite par- ticipation from organizations and individuals. These were held around town, at Hastings, Fiske, and Cary Hall. In these meetings Sue Rockwell and Committee members welcomed all attendees and the Events Co- Chairs shared the initial event schedule. Each meeting drew out new sug- gestions from participants. For example, Dawn McKenna attended an early meeting at Hastings and suggested an All-Town flyover photograph. Several ideas were shared at the Fiske meeting: Shirley Lane and Muffie Martin offered that the Daughters of the American Revolution could spon- sor genealogy workshops; Janet Post offered that the Lexing- ton Pops Chorus could share a specially commissioned work, as did Fred Johnson from the Lexington Symphony. These ideas, and many more, were gradually added to the official schedule of events. Additional Community Meetings were held in FY13 (at the Cary Memorial Building and the De- pot) to continue inviting new people to join us. Volunteers While expanding the list of events, Morrisett and Stei- gerwald recruited an ever - increasing roster of people who were willing to get involved as event leaders or volunteers. By April 2012 there were chairs or co- chairs for multiple events and these leaders all helped recruit more volunteers to make each event possible. Together, the Events Team helped host a special "All welcome!" gathering celebrating Lexington's 299th Anniversary at Cary Hall. This was also a chance for people working on different events or projects to meet each other. These initial outreach efforts brought together a few dozen volunteers. "Volunteers" were defined as those individuals or organizations who gave their time in support of the events that were hosted or run by the Events team. By the conclu- sion of the formal 300th events, in May 2013, the Events team counted 2,700 volunteers. This number included the performers who participated as unpaid volunteers. These volunteers contributed exceptional talent, skills and professionalism to the town celebrations. The services they gave to the town, if fees had been charged, would have been unattainable. Volunteers included the Po- lice and Fire Honor Guards, artists, tree companies and business owners. Thanks to every person's generosity, we were able to celebrate in high style for 9 months. Many events were broadcast or recorded by LexMedia. This helped people stay connected even if they could not attend, and also helped document volunteer efforts. Three groups volunteered to perform at multiple 300th events and at 8 public school assemblies: His Majesty's 10th Regiment of Foot, the William Diamond Jr. Fife & Drum Corps and the Lexington Minute Men. Their gift of time was priceless. Each group helped us connect to Lexington in the earlier part of our town's history, from 1713 through the Revolutionary period.