As we approach 2019, the City of Perry is preparing for a big milestone: the 150th anniversary of the City’s founding.

To celebrate the sesquicentennial, the Chamber of Commerce has organized a planning committee that has already met several times to organize activities. The big event will be held in conjunction with the City’s annual 4th of July celebration, running from July 5th through possibly the 7th. Chamber Director Lynsi Pasutti says they’re still figuring out the details of the celebration, but one thing they’ve figured out is the theme. In honor of Perry’s founding as a railroad town, and now today being a central Iowa bike trail hub, the theme will be “Rails to Trails.” With that in mind, Pasutti says the committee is now seeking help from the public.

“We’ll be launching a contest to help us with images for going along with the theme. So kind of a logo for that, that can go on t-shirts, can go on a commemorative coin, things like that. And so we’ll be kicking that off at the beginning of the year, reaching out to schools (and) any community members that want to submit a design. And then we’ll decide at the next (planning) meeting, and that’ll kind of really get us going for starting to do t-shirts and that kind of fundraising to get us ready for a big event that hopefully everyone will enjoy!”

The next planning meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 22nd at 5:30 p.m. in the Towncraft Building. Anyone interested in learning more about the design contest, or who would like to join the planning committee can stop by or call the Chamber office at 515-465-4601. To learn more about this and other Perry Chamber topics, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.