Hendricks County Gears Up for a Memorable Bicentennial Celebration

Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photography Provided

This year Hendricks County residents will celebrate the county’s 200th birthday, and not only are plans underway to create a community-wide, memorable experience, but the bicentennial committee is hoping you’ll get involved too.

In early 2023, Pat Baldwin, president of the Hendricks County Historical Museum and co-chair of the bicentennial committee, approached the Hendricks County commissioners to request the bicentennial be recognized and celebrated in 2024. With wholehearted agreement, a team of community leaders got to work.

“I didn’t want to miss this opportunity,” Baldwin says. “We need to do something. It’s going to take organization. This county started with about 1,000 people, and today we have 174,000. We’ve built industries, services – the changes over time have been huge and we don’t want to dismiss it.”

Visit Hendricks County, the Hendricks County Community Foundation (HCCF), the Hendricks County Historical Museum and many others formed a steering committee to launch the project.

“We want to lend our expertise in helping make this celebration one to remember for our county,” says Josh Duke, senior manager of content and communications at Visit Hendricks County. “Half of our staff is actively involved in some way, putting extra time and effort into this initiative beyond our normal, day-to-day work. Two hundred years is an amazing milestone. Just consider how many generations have called Hendricks County home and how much change has occurred during that time.”

Under the bicentennial steering committee, subcommittees were formed with individuals from Hendricks County libraries, Hendricks Regional Health, Duke Energy, Hendricks Power Cooperative and many others, working on different aspects of the celebration including history, events, budget and more.

Their first task was creating a symbol of bicentennial events and programs. Earlier this year the official bicentennial logo contest brought in 36 submitted designs, and the steering committee selected John Johansson’s multicolored image, representing the county’s forests and parks, streams, cornfields, and contribution to the motorsports industry.

“It wasn’t unanimous by any means and there were easily five to 10 logos that could have served as our bicentennial logo,” Duke says. “Ultimately John’s logo couldn’t have worked out any better. He’s been an advocate for this celebration since the get-go and everyone has loved it, so we couldn’t be happier.”

A video of Johansson describing what went into his design is on the newly created bicentennial website at hendricks200.com.

The website was designed by ASH Interactive, a marketing firm in Brownsburg, and it provides a variety of information, from the history of the county to planned events.

“It’s still a work in progress but a great place to start,” Baldwin says. “There are and will be photos, a timeline of historical information, event information, and a spot to sign up for the newsletter to keep people informed.”

As for the history timeline, visitors to the website can learn about the establishment of Hendricks County, formation of the county seat in Danville, schools, railroads, and other major milestones in the county’s past and present.

“I want people to treasure the past, those who came before us and struggled to make what we have now,” says Susie Truax, steering committee and history committee member. “These individuals made Hendricks County what it is today. They tore down the forest and they settled on the land. It’s something that unites us and helps us get back to our roots.”

One might often think of history as 50, 100 or 200 years ago, but what makes the bicentennial celebration special, according to Eric Hessel, vice president of programs at the HCCF and co-chair of the bicentennial committee, is the fact that history starts today.

“If you’ve lived in Hendricks County for a year or come from a family that has been here since the county’s inception, when you moved here, you became a part of our history,” Hessel says. “We hope people will share their history with us in some way, shape or form.”

In this spirit, the bicentennial committee encourages every town and every person in the county to get involved in the celebration.

The steering committee’s kickoff event will be in March, and there will a closing event in early 2025. Those planning large events for 2024 are already starting to reach out.

“We’re partnering with the Hendricks County Rib-Fest and barbecue to sponsor the music in 2024,” Hessel says. “This will be the first time music has returned since the pandemic. We’ll also partner with the Hendricks County 4-H Fair to bring different aspects of the bicentennial to those events.”

The Hendricks County Historical Museum staff will have a bicentennial theme for its Dancing With the Hendricks County Stars fundraiser. The Celebrating Avon festival organizers will include the theme in their popular event at the Avon-Washington Township Public Library. An educational book featuring the history of the towns and townships in Hendricks County is underway.

In addition, the steering committee is creating a Bicentennial Legacy project – something we can establish for future generations.

“Our Bicentennial Legacy project will be the 50 Trees Trail – planting 50 native Indiana trees, likely at W.S. Gibbs Park, that will serve as a beautification project and last well beyond 2024,” Hessel says.

While many of the large community events will likely have a bicentennial theme throughout the year, the committee’s hope is that the county will celebrate in a variety of ways as more local businesses, civic groups and residents learn more.

“There are many ways to get involved,” Duke says. “We want everyone to consider creating an event or legacy project to celebrate the bicentennial. We hope that event organizers for all of our annual events will add some kind of bicentennial component so we can make this a yearlong celebration, and we are currently acquiring corporate sponsors for specific activities and events.”

Free yard signs have been designed and printed, and they are available for display throughout the county. Sponsorship opportunities are being developed for small businesses, families and individuals, allowing everyone to express their love and appreciation for their county in the coming year.

Those creating or hosting an event can go to the bicentennial website and seek an endorsement from the committee. To qualify, the committee is looking for public projects that engage and inspire the community. An endorsement allows for the use of the official logo and published news about the special event.

If planning a community celebration isn’t on your radar, joining in on the fun certainly can be.

“We also ask all residents to simply go out and support these bicentennial events and projects that will occur throughout the year,” Duke says. “Your support is greatly appreciated and welcomed.”

As everyone works together, 2024 will be a year to remember. The bicentennial is meant to celebrate growth and change, and recognize all the county has accomplished in the past 200 years.

“In today’s age, where everyone finds something to be mad about, to bicker about or to complain about, this is something we can all get around together,” Hessel says. “Everyone can take part and share in this.”

Visit hendricks200.com to learn more, submit photos, apply for event endorsement or sign up for the newsletter.