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Lawrence's Sesquicentennial

2004 marks the 150th birthday of Lawrence, and the city is celebrating with parades, parties, and several events designed to commemorate Lawrence's colorful history. In this section, you'll find articles and multimedia about the city's Sesquicentennial. More: • 6News video: Sesquicentennial celebration ends • 6News video: City celebrates birthday with parade, music, festival • 6News video: Sesquicentennial kicks off this weekend • River City Chronicles • Calendar of events • Official Web site
Photo Gallery: Scenes from Lawrence's past Photo Gallery: Lawrence's Sesquicentennial Celebration Photo Gallery: Mayors of Lawrence, Kan. Photo Gallery: Lawrence sheriffs
Lawrence Journal-World page 1A, Sept. 19, 2004 Pdf | Jpg 'From the Ashes' special section, Sept. 19, 2004 Pdf | Jpg 'Lawrence Milestones' special section, Sept. 26, 2004 Pdf | Jpg 'Living History' special section, Oct. 3, 2004 Pdf | Jpg

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City making progress toward historic goal
Monday, April 4, 2005
Fund-raising for a plaza to commemorate the city's 150th birthday is more than halfway complete.

Estate sale to help preserve castle on Mass. Street
Friday, November 5, 2004
Area residents today and Saturday can help bring a Lawrence landmark back to life. Officials with the group seeking to preserve and reopen the Castle Tea Room, 1307 Mass., are conducting an estate sale of items used by its former owner, the late Libuse "Libby" Kriz-Fiorito.

Area briefs
Friday, October 29, 2004
• History fund to celebrate cemetery's anniversary
• Sebelius backs increased campaign disclosures
• Hinrich fundraiser Saturday
• Kansas records second West Nile death

'Drawing Lawrence' touches light, dark moments in history
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Dairy Queen marks the spot. When William Quantrill and his ruffians stormed Lawrence with massacre on their minds, they entered town at the present-day site of the Massachusetts Street ice cream shop.

'Free' sculpture selected to commemorate sesquicentennial
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The southwest corner of Sixth and Massachusetts streets is about to gain a spark of color.

Living History
Sunday, October 3, 2004
This former frontier outpost on the Kaw -- what some now call Kansas' most livable city -- is the product of its residents' resilient and long-running ability to carve solutions from problems and consensus from sometimes violent conflict.

Lawrence once led state's temperance movement
Sunday, October 3, 2004
Many of those living in or visiting bar-friendly Lawrence don't realize that it was the site for anti-alcohol gatherings for more than 60 years.

Tooting its horn
Sunday, October 3, 2004
City of the Arts" may be a relatively recent moniker for Lawrence, but it wouldn't have been a misnomer 150 years ago.

Different forms of government ruled city
Sunday, October 3, 2004
Lawrence in the 1850s was a libertarian utopia.

What's in a name?
Sunday, October 3, 2004
The names settlers originally gave to many places were different than the ones they have today.

Historic landmarks dot city
Sunday, October 3, 2004
Through the doors of every building lies a story, a past. Lawrence's long and rich history is reflected by its local landmarks. Some are left to memories and most have changed through the years, but residents can catch a glimpse of the evolution of the city and its people through stone and brick, metal and glass.

Preservation of history now a priority
Sunday, October 3, 2004
In Lawrence, as in many towns, the conflict between preservation of the old and development of the new is a constant source of tension.

In 1929, buildings from pioneer days could still be found
Sunday, October 3, 2004
No building erected in 1854 remains in Lawrence, unless the old James Lane house at 800 Ill. dates from that time.

Courthouse, KU buildings among architect's work
Sunday, October 3, 2004
The Statehouse in Topeka and several of Lawrence's most prominent historic buildings have something in common: their architect.

City's clubs, organizations diverse in form, function
Sunday, October 3, 2004
When it came to lighting fires, these guys were pros.

Lawrence's namesake left lasting legacies
Sunday, October 3, 2004
It's no coincidence that Lawrence resident Charles Derby's middle name is "Lawrence."

Residents recall changes in medicine
Sunday, October 3, 2004
Lawrence has changed in many ways since the time it was founded as a modest settlement on the prairie in 1854, and one thing that has changed along with it is the kind of health care available to its residents.

Famous names have called Lawrence area 'home'
Sunday, October 3, 2004
One thing that makes Lawrence special is its people -- an ever-changing assortment of experts, innovators, athletes and oddballs.

Recent past marked by confrontation
Sunday, October 3, 2004
It's no secret. Lawrence has always been different, more contentious, more progressive than most Kansas cities.

Lawrence milestones
Sunday, September 26, 2004
It was a time both of dwindling and booming enrollment at Kansas University, of wartime shortages of labor and housing, and of retreat from the integrationist philosophies upon which the city was founded.

Lawrence founders expected major growth
Sunday, September 26, 2004
The founders of Lawrence thought big.

First schools vastly different in scope from today's district
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Dan Neuenswander attended New York School in 1944. At the time, it was one of five elementary schools in the town, the former Lawrence public schools superintendent said.

Lawrence economy evolves with consumers
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Lawrence hasn't always been known first and foremost as a university town. In the late 1800s it had an entirely different moniker: "Barbed Wire Capital of the West."

KU at the center of Lawrence's history
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Kansas University in 1866 -- the college that had one building, 55 students and three faculty members -- barely resembles the educational mecca of present-day KU.

Some heroes of the Quantrill raid unknown, unrecognized
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Heroes and heroines are often given monuments as a testament to their courage. Not so with many of the heroes and heroines of the Lawrence raid by William Quantrill on Aug. 21, 1863.

City's history full of violence
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Lawrence may appear to some to be an idyllic college town, but it's seen plenty of blood and turmoil in its 150 years.

Commemorative stones at the center of gift to community
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Nita Sewell knew 1970 had to be the year. After all, that was the year she and her first husband, the Rev. Ronald Sundbye, were married. It was also the year activists kicked open the doors of the First Methodist Church where Sundbye preached and demanded $75,000.

Modern Haskell seeks to preserve culture
Sunday, September 26, 2004
If history is about change, few Lawrence institutions are as historic as Haskell Indian Nations University.

Movie-making focuses on Lawrence
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Modern Lawrence may be better known for its live music and arts scenes, but it also has a respectable cinematic history.

Lawrence newspapers existed before there was news
Sunday, September 26, 2004
When pro-slavery forces sacked Lawrence in 1856, they destroyed the printing presses of the anti-slavery newspapers, called the Kansas Free State and the Herald of Freedom.

Lawrence shifting focus to mass transit
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Today, Lawrence's paved streets run for 282 miles, stretching into all corners of a rapidly expanding community.

War efforts dominated 1904 to 1954
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Within the history of Lawrence's second 50 years -- 1904 to 1954 -- there is much to celebrate, mourn and regret.

City's focus turns from past to future
Monday, September 20, 2004
It's over. Lawrence wrapped up its 150th birthday celebration in grand fashion Sunday with the burial of a time capsule, music, an American Indian ceremony and the release of 100 white doves.

From the Ashes
Sunday, September 19, 2004
The city of Lawrence was founded on a political idea. Eli Thayer, a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, proposed that the Kansas Territory be filled with free men "who hated slavery and who would drive the hideous thing from the broad and beautiful plains where they were going to raise free homes." He drew up a charter for what was called the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company.

Lawrence celebrates its sesquicentennial
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Lawrence took its 150th birthday celebration to new heights Saturday with a Sesquicentennial Parade that dodged thunderstorms and delighted thousands who gathered along Massachusetts Street.

Storied past, bright future
Sunday, September 19, 2004
A 150th birthday is a significant milestone, and thanks to the Lawrence Sesquicentennial Commission, our city's 150th birthday is being celebrated in many ways.

Founding based in abolishing slavery
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Lawrence was founded as the western outpost for the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, in an effort to populate the debatable territory of Kansas with free-state advocates. Other communities of free-state advocates were founded, but the Lawrence group seems to have been the most militant, and it was about Lawrence that much of the border strife centered in the six or seven years before the Civil War.

Lawrence burned, looted in border hostilities
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Behind the Jones Raid on Lawrence on May 21, 1856, was the growing clash between Free State and pro-slavery advocates. Samuel J. Jones, postmaster of Westport, Mo., (now part of Kansas City) was appointed sheriff of Douglas County, but he continued to hold his postmastership. He was objectionable to the people of Douglas County (or at least of Lawrence) because he had been one of the leaders of the 1,000 Missourians who participated in the Lawrence election of March 20, 1855.

Quantrill's raid left Lawrence in ruins, killed 143 men
Sunday, September 19, 2004
An outgrowth of the partisanship of the pre-Civil War days was the Quantrill raid of Aug. 21, 1863. William Quantrill and a band of 200 or 300 men had been meeting in the hills southeast of Kansas City and making forays into Kansas. Quantrill attacked Olathe one night and stole considerable property. One person was killed. Most of the raids were for plunder, but the raid on Lawrence, according to the Rev. Richard Cordley, was deliberately for slaughter. Lawrence in the '50s was the center of free-state activity, and in the '60s it typified opposition to the slavery idea.

Who really were the Quantrill raiders?
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Contrary to popular belief, the infamous raid of Lawrence on Aug. 21, 1863, was a well-planned attack, not an impulsive assault by gun-slinging outlaws.

A message to 2054 bicentennial planners
Sunday, September 19, 2004
The Lawrence Sesquicentennial Commission has enjoyed strong support from the City Commission and the people of Lawrence for the four years that we have worked together. Throughout, we have attempted always to look forward, conscious of the importance of building on the commitment to this community made by the several generations that came before us.

Remembering those fallen in battle
Sunday, September 19, 2004

Boulder, plaque pay homage to pioneers
Sunday, September 19, 2004
For most, the Shunganunga boulder is but a peripheral pink blur as they drive through downtown Lawrence.

The inscription on the monument
Sunday, September 19, 2004

City churches trace roots to pioneer days
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Lawrence was born from the reaction between pro-slavery forces and abolitionists fighting for control over the future of the Kansas Territory -- and the city's early churches were the catalyst.

Lawrence's early days marked by bloody conflict
Sunday, September 19, 2004
One hundred years ago, Lawrence celebrated its first 50 years with a week of speeches, parades and a carnival that parked its merry-go-round in the middle of Ninth and Massachusetts streets.

Early Days in Lawrence: A timeline
Sunday, September 19, 2004

Sesquicentennial Commission seeks to inspire next generation
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Bill Crowe wants to make the Lawrence sesquicentennial more than a big birthday party.

Competition hairy at beard contest
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Bushy to well-groomed. Short to long. Like snowflakes, no two beards in Lawrence's Sesquicentennial Beard Contest were quite the same.

Free cake tops off downtown parade
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Ed Bishop ate a slice of white cake Saturday in South Park and remembered the first time he saw Lawrence throw a citywide birthday party.

Lawrence cuts a rug at outdoor dance
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Music and dancing may have drawn people to the Street Dance in the Park, but the event was all about community.

City's sesquicentennial makes big impression on stamp collectors
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Former Mayor Ernest Angino grabbed people walking in front of the Watkins Community Museum and showed them the big yellow sign hanging from a small table.

Spooked horse gives Japanese mayor taste of old-time Lawrence
Sunday, September 19, 2004
When the mayor of Hiratsuka, Japan, came to Lawrence last week, the last thing she expected was to experience a chapter out of the Old West first-hand.

Photo: Celebrating 120 years
Sunday, September 19, 2004

Third group of settlers found town ‘barbarous'
Sunday, September 19, 2004
While most of the members of the first two settling parties of the New England Emigrant Aid Company stayed in Lawrence, many of the third party, which arrived in October 1855, did not.

Sesquicentennial celebration events
Sunday, September 19, 2004

Sesquicentennial briefs
Sunday, September 19, 2004
• First charter in 1858 establishes city limits
• Help from the enemy
• Land disputes significant to early settlements
• Women aid defense
• How the settlers lived the first year in Lawrence
• Smoking out the foe
• 'Sound of the Goose'
• Beecher's Bibles

City's birthday bash continues with parade
Saturday, September 18, 2004
For Fred Winter, today's Sesquicentennial Parade is more than a trip down Massachusetts Street. It's a trip down memory lane.

Birthday cake to feed 2,000
Saturday, September 18, 2004
The city of Lawrence will celebrate its 150th birthday today in traditional style: with birthday cake.

Sesquicentennial schedule
Saturday, September 18, 2004

Weekend's entertainment includes birthday celebrations, music
Saturday, September 18, 2004

Early Lawrence men made do without wives
Saturday, September 18, 2004
With the city celebrating its 150th birthday this weekend, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

Territorial anniversary inspires new courses
Saturday, September 18, 2004
The sesquicentennial of the Kansas territory has led to two new online courses available through Kansas University Continuing Education.

Lawrence residents gather symbols of city's 150th year
Friday, September 17, 2004
Hovering toilets that float to your couch during TV commercial breaks. Underground houses. And mohawks. Lots of mohawks. That's 10-year-old Alesia Herd's vision of Lawrence in the year 2054.

Kelley Hunt celebrates CD release at downtown street dance
Friday, September 17, 2004
With Lawrence's sesquicentennial events kicking off this weekend, the city appears fully focused on musing about its own history.

Early settlers fostered love of music in city
Friday, September 17, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Saturday, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

Sesquicentennial schedule
Friday, September 17, 2004
Here's a look at events planned this week. All are free unless otherwise noted.

City pride, scratchy beards mark past anniversaries
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Dorothy Green doesn't remember all the details, but she was wearing a pink crepe-paper dress, surrounded by fruits and vegetables.

Haskell to mark 120 years
Thursday, September 16, 2004
In keeping with Lawrence's sesquicentennial celebration, Haskell Indian Nations University will commemorate its 120th anniversary with several events this weekend.

Residents share stories for future
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Whether it was racial tensions that tore through Lawrence in the late 1960s, a national basketball championship two decades later or a time when Massachusetts Street was still a muddy road in a young, turbulent river town, the memories all are part of history.

Kansas winter surprises city's earliest residents
Thursday, September 16, 2004
The first Lawrence residents got an early taste of what winter would be like in Kansas.

Sister cities share in celebration
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Wrapping one's mouth around the word "sesquicentennial" is difficult enough. But there may not even be a comparable term for the age of Lawrence's sister city of Eutin, Germany.

Transplant's infatuation with city inspires song
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Tom Mach hopes there will be a giant sing-along Saturday afternoon in South Park, with people who care for the city giving their renditions of "Lawrence, We Love You."

First governor faced treason charge
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Before he was the first governor of Kansas, Charles Robinson was a criminal -- at least in the eyes of the territorial government.

City's namesake left lasting legacies
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
It's no coincidence that Lawrence resident Charles Derby's middle name is "Lawrence."

Lawrence portrait to grace City Hall
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Amos Lawrence is about to make a grand entrance at Lawrence City Hall.

"Lawrence, We Love You" lyrics
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Lyrics by Tom Mach, with music adapted by Megan Helm

Mount Oread's name precedes that of city
Monday, September 13, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Saturday, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

City ready for birthday bash
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Randy Weseman is talking some sesquicentennial smack. The superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools has sported a beard for the better part of the summer, and he's hoping it will earn him recognition next weekend as part of the beard-growing contest at the city's 150th birthday.

Sesquicentennial calendar
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Here's a look at events planned this week. All are free unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit www.lawrence150.org

Tragic history of native peoples in eastern Kansas largely unmourned
Sunday, September 12, 2004
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 had vastly different effects on the native peoples of eastern Kansas and the European-American settlers to which it would open the gates to the area.

First settlers included farmers, mechanics
Saturday, September 11, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

Mud forts protected city's early residents
Friday, September 10, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

First Lawrence house was cabin at Sixth, Mass.
Thursday, September 9, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

City's first hotel saw quick name change
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

City's namesake declined to fund John Brown raid
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

One early impression of Lawrence was poor
Monday, September 6, 2004
With the city set to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

Kansas-Nebraska Act turned Indian lands into slavery battleground
Sunday, September 5, 2004
The boldest legislative stroke leading to "Bleeding Kansas" and the Civil War occurred on May 30, 1854, when President Pierce signed into law the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Lawrence at 150
Sunday, September 5, 2004
As the city prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday Sept. 18, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

Civil War ancestor unites distant cousins
Sunday, August 29, 2004
A love of liberty brought Henry Copeland to Kansas. It was 1864, and he was inspired to fight for the Union cause. He was inspired by his brother John, who was hanged along with John Brown at Harper's Ferry.

City band concert at Lied Center repeats haunting page in history
Sunday, August 15, 2004
The Lawrence City Band's performance at Friday's free outdoor concert at the Lied Center will be a case of history repeating.

Sesquicentennial Point's first open house empty
Monday, August 2, 2004
What if you gave an "open house" and nobody came? Well, if it's at Sesquicentennial Point near Clinton Lake, you plan another one. In fact, Lawrence and area residents have six more Sunday afternoons to visit the point and see what one day could be a special place for amphitheater concerts, outdoor art shows and numerous other events.

History, future intersect at Sesquicentennial Point
Monday, July 26, 2004
Jerry Niebaum loves 1961. It's the year he graduated from Kansas University, the year he got married and the year he and his wife, Judy, moved to Lawrence for good.

Chautauqua has dramatic finish
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Under normal circumstances Joyce Bohling would be the last person you'd expect to see leading a murderous attack on Lawrence during the Civil War.

Chautauqua draws from near and far
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Lawrence's six-day history lesson is about to come to an end. Today is the finale of the Bleeding Kansas Chautauqua commemorative review of the city and Kansas Territory during the pre-Civil War years.

Chautauqua observes Sabbath with Plymouth re-enactment
Monday, June 28, 2004
Like a good Kansan from 150 years ago, Chautauqua went to church Sunday morning.

Re-enactors serious about history
Sunday, June 27, 2004
The lessons taught by characters reincarnated in the Bloody Kansas Chautauqua this weekend in Lawrence are as relevant today as they were in the days surrounding the Civil War, a Chautauqua re-enactor says.

Scholars awaken history with portrayals
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Don't call them actors. The scholars portraying historical figures in "Bleeding Kansas: Where the Civil War Began" have spent exponentially more time studying their characters than the average star of stage or screen.

Council brings Chautauqua to Lawrence to help celebrate sesquicentennial
Sunday, June 20, 2004
A century ago, a city the size of Lawrence would never have been included on the chautauqua circuit.

Events scheduled for ‘Bleeding Kansas: Where the Civil War Began'
Sunday, June 20, 2004

2004 Kansas Chautauqua biographies
Sunday, June 20, 2004
• John Brown (David Matheny)
• David Rice Atchison (David Dickerson)
• Frederick Douglass (Charles Everett Pace)
• Clarina Nichols (Diane Eickhoff)
• Abraham Lincoln (Richard Johnson)
• Stephen A. Douglas (Fred Krebs)

Drive begins for gift to city
Sunday, June 13, 2004
After years of planning, fund raising has begun for Sesquicentennial Point, the plaza that will commemorate the city's 150th birthday.

Tour organizers hope to cultivate local residents' interest in trees
Tuesday, June 1, 2004
You can't take home the red brick streets, cut limestone curbs or expansive front porches from the majestic Old West Lawrence neighborhood. But you can steal an idea or two about some of the stately green giants that have stood sentry just west of downtown for more than a century.

Garden a tribute to founding mothers
Monday, May 31, 2004
Beautiful. Gorgeous. Spectacular. Those were just a few of the adjectives used Sunday by people who viewed the Lawrence sesquicentennial Elizabeth Speer Garden outside the historic Murphy-Bromelsick House at 10th and Delaware streets.

City band raises baton on summer concert season
Sunday, May 30, 2004
For many Lawrence residents, summer doesn't truly begin until they unfold their lawn chairs at South Park and hear the first trumpet calls from the Lawrence City Band.

City's namesake a focus of sesquicentennial history
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Amos Lawrence donated thousands of dollars to a city on the Plains that had fought slavery for seven years before the official beginning of the Civil War.

Sesquicentennial events to kick off Sunday
Thursday, May 27, 2004
It's time to start lighting the candles on Lawrence's 150th birthday cake.

Parade, festival to mark city's 150th anniversary
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Bob Foster calls it the "mother of all parades." He's hoping the Lawrence Sesquicentennial Parade, in September, will draw hundreds of entries and thousands of spectators to downtown Lawrence.

Historic bell again commands attention
Monday, May 10, 2004
A 1,600-pound bell holding an important place in Lawrence history is out of its "dark hole" and now in a more prominent location for all to see.

Office relics put back to work
Friday, April 30, 2004
A wooden pencil, a clumsy paper clip and an old Commodore 64 computer might not look like much, but such seemingly run-of-the-mill items chronicle decades of advances and tell stories of boundless innovations designed to make the working lives of employees easier and more productive. That's the idea, at least.

Sesquicentennial events
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Here's a list of upcoming events for Lawrence's sesquicentennial celebration.

Churches to celebrate 150th anniversary
Saturday, April 24, 2004
The city of Lawrence is rich in history -- and so are its churches.

Quilt unveiling honors sesquicentennial era
Saturday, March 20, 2004
Kaw Valley Quilters Mary Boucher and Joyce Colton have stitched together a Sesquicentennial Sampler for Lawrence's 150th anniversary celebration. The quilt, which honors women who lived during the territorial period, will be unveiled at 1 p.m. today at Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Here are some other weekend entertainment options.

Community projects announced for city's 150th birthday celebration
Sunday, March 7, 2004
The south entrance of the Lawrence Public Library is about to get a facelift: three colorful murals depicting the past, present and future of Lawrence. The project, by VanGo Mobile Arts, is one of 12 projects planned by community organizations and funded by grants recently announced by the Lawrence Sesquicentennial Commission to celebrate the city's 150th birthday.

Hometown geographer offers sesquicentennial map
Thursday, January 29, 2004
It took David Carttar eight years of living in San Francisco to develop an appreciation for his hometown of Lawrence. When he returned to Lawrence in 2000, he immersed himself in everything he could find on Lawrence history.

2004 calendar commemorates '150 Years of Lawrence, Kansas'
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Most everyone who's called Lawrence home for any length of time knows the story of what happened here on Aug. 21, 1863. Early that morning, William Quantrill and his band of armed ruffians swept through the city on horseback, leaving a wake of death and fiery destruction. A lesser-known fact is what the people of Lawrence were doing the night before the raid.

Sesquicentennial Committee throws party
Monday, October 13, 2003
Ken Wehmeyer would like nothing better than to sit on a hill east of the Clinton dam and take in a bluegrass music festival.

Sesquicentennial Commission to grant money for celebrations
Wednesday, October 1, 2003
The Lawrence Sesquicentennial Commission has announced guidelines for distributing funds that it has earmarked for groups wanting to celebrate the city's 150th birthday.

Sesquicentennial Plaza at Clinton Lake still among plans for 2004 celebration
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Members of the committee planning the city's 150th birthday will go ahead with plans for a Sesquicentennial Plaza near the Clinton Lake dam.

6News video: Residents want to celebrate Lawrence's Sesquicentennial at park
Friday, May 30, 2003
The 150th anniversary may be celebrated at a plaza built at Clinton State Park.

Lawrence prepares for 150th birthday
Saturday, April 12, 2003
It's been more than three years since planning for Lawrence's 150th birthday began, and committee members are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Parade envisioned to kick off sesquicentennial celebration
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Lawrence's 150th birthday isn't until Sept. 18, 2004, but the festivities might begin in just nine months.
Robert Foster, who serves on the Sesquicentennial Commission, said during a meeting Wednesday that a committee planning a Sept. 18, 2004, parade also would like to plan a July 4, 2003, parade to kick off the birthday events.

Citizens formulate plans for sesquicentennial
Friday, April 5, 2002
By Terry Rombeck

The cake and party favors aren't ordered yet, but plans for Lawrence's 150th birthday party are beginning to come together. The city's sesquicentennial � officially Sept. 8, 2004 � will be cause for a year's worth of celebrations.

City starts sesquicentennial countdown
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
By Joel Mathis

The countdown is on. Lawrence city commissioners celebrated the city's 147th birthday Tuesday with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" and a little bit of cake as the Lawrence Sesquicentennial Commission started the countdown to the 150th anniversary celebrations in 2004.

Ideas for 150th abound
Friday, April 6, 2001
By Terry Rombeck

There is a common goal among those planning Lawrence's 150th birthday party in 2004: They want to leave a legacy.

Party planners get jump on city's 150th
Saturday, January 6, 2001
By Katie Hollar

A downtown pavilion. A footbridge from behind Johnny's Tavern to Burcham Park. A 2004 presidential debate. Those are just some of the ideas kicked around by the group planning a grand 150th birthday bash for Lawrence when the day comes in 2004. The date is three years away, but the Sesquicentennial Commission is already busy brainstorming.