As the state's Sesquicentennial draws closer, two ambassadors are making their way across Minnesota spreading the message that 2008 will be a year to reflect upon and celebrate. These emissaries are 3-foot by 5-foot banners that began their journey on May 11, and will make stops in libraries in every county in Minnesota before returning to St. Paul on May 11, 2008, for the 150th anniversary of statehood.
The banner is currently visiting the Cloquet Public Library.
Each banner is accompanied by a leather-bound journal in which visitors can write thoughts about Minnesota and the Sesquicentennial. Come and sign the journal at the Cloquet Public Library.
The banners and the journal will be presented to the Governor at Statehood Weekend next May, and eventually find a new home with the Minnesota Historical Society.
In addition to drumming up interest in the Sesquicentennial, the banners' journey is intended to highlight the importance of public libraries in Minnesotans' daily lives.
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"We picked libraries to be the official host of this special Sesquicentennial banner and journal because libraries are essential to our civic and economic life as a state and in our local communities," said Sesquicentennial Commission Executive Director Jane Leonard. "Public libraries are lifelong learning labs, filled with the information and knowledge we need to grow as individuals, to start and grow businesses, and to share a civic life with our fellow citizens who gather in those public spaces."
To find out more about the Sesquicentennial, visit www.mn150years.org .
