Marc Ellinger,

chairman of the Cole County Bicentennial Committee, explains why the county’s milestone is deserving of a real celebration.

On Nov. 16, our county, Cole County, will celebrate its 200th birthday. In this difficult time, this milestone deserves real celebration.

Our Cole County Bicentennial Committee is focused on this celebration, and there are great events in the immediate future. We invite you to cast off the fear and celebrate 200 years of Cole County … our home.

Since late 2019, our committee has worked to have a full and complete celebration of our bicentennial. In early 2020, fourth-grade classes across Cole County worked on a presentation based on the theme of “Looking Back, Looking Forward.”

We received many great interpretations of our theme. While it was a difficult choice, we selected Ms. Dudenhoeffer’s class at South Elementary School (Jefferson City) and Ms. Wieberg’s and Ms. Shepherd’s class at Cole County R-1 (Russellville) for their superlative presentations.

The big kickoff celebration was scheduled for April 16, 2020, at the State Capitol … then the pandemic hit. Like all Cole Countians, we suddenly had to adjust and improvise. That is what makes Cole County great, when troubles intervene, we do not cower but instead we adjust, adapt and move forward. The committee arranged to have more than 23,000 bookmarks printed. These bookmarks were then distributed to every student in Cole County and to the staff at each school in Cole County.

In the course of the pandemic, we were able to have a kickoff ceremony at Marion, the site of the first county seat of Cole County. That event was keynoted by Bob Priddy of Missourinet fame, who announced Cole County was actually named after William Temple Cole and not Stephen Cole as had often been referenced. We also received a beautiful Cole County quilt from the ladies at Osage Bend. Our committee attended the St. Thomas parish picnic and presented the city of St. Thomas with a County Commission resolution.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, we will dedicate the Cole County Bicentennial monument on the courthouse grounds. The monument reflects on key moments in Cole County history and will be placed at the corner of High and Monroe streets next to the WWI monument and the flagpole. This event will be a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of our bicentennial.

All the commemorative items will be available starting at 11 a.m. Central Bank has graciously contributed the cost of the monument and we, as a committee and as a county, are so very grateful for their support.

On our 200th birthday, Nov. 16, 2020, we will dedicate the tri-county monument at the North Jefferson City trailhead of the Katy Trail. This monument brings together

Cole, Boone and Callaway counties, and its dedication will mark the formal conclusion of our celebration and the turning of the keys over to the governor for the state of Missouri bicentennial in 2021.

In 1970, when Cole County celebrated its sesquicentennial, commemorative coins were minted in bronze and pure silver. To make sure we tied our bicentennial to prior events, we also commissioned commemorative coins in brass and pure silver. The coins have Cole County on one side and the courthouse on the other side. Brass coins are $10 each and the pure silver coins, limited to 200 serially numbered coins, are $100 each. All the coins will be available at the Cole County monument dedication on Nov. 7. The brass coins are also available at banks around Cole County and the silver coins are available by contacting me at my office: 573-750-4100.

The Blacksmith Distillery in Lohman distilled a special Cole County Bicentennial Bourbon. Limited to only 200 bottles, they are serially numbered, cost $55, and are available at Samuel’s Tuxedos.

Finally, there is a special Cole County Bicentennial Henry Golden Boy Rifle. We are raffling off the proof of this amazing firearm, and the drawing will be at the Cole County monument dedication at 1 p.m. Nov. 7. There are only 200 chances at $50 each.

All the proceeds from these commemorative sales will go to place markers in the seven communities across the county to mark our bicentennial. Any excess funds will be placed in an interest-bearing account for the 250th birthday of Cole County in 2070!

We are so fortunate to live in Cole County and, on behalf of our committee, I encourage each and every one of you to come to the courthouse on Saturday, Nov. 7, to join in a celebration of Cole County’s bicentennial!

Marc Ellinger is chairman of the Cole County Bicentennial Committee.