By Krissy Turner
DUBOIS – Over the next several months, the DuBois Area Historical Society has a string of events in the works that will center around DuBois’ 150th anniversary.
The first is a luncheon event being held at 12 p.m. on March 19 at Christ Lutheran Church, located on Sunflower Drive, in DuBois.
The guest speaker is New York Times journalist, Marcia Biederman, who is the author of “A Mighty Force: Dr. Elizabeth Hayes and Her War for Public Health.”
Part of the society’s celebration of DuBois’ 150th and the society’s 40th anniversaries, Dr. Hayes was one of the first women doctors in this area.
The price for lunch is $13, and the deadline for registration is March 15. Currently, around 90 individuals have registered for the event.
The next event is May 7 at 10:30 a.m., and is the society’s 13th Spring Walk at historic Morningside Cemetery in DuBois.
Guests will leave from the cemetery’s administration building at 10:30 a.m. The program is free and open to all. Those attending are reminded to not park their vehicles on the grass.
The walk will focus on the gravesites of many well-known people from Dubois’ history. There were 25 participants on a rainy-day last year and some years there have been over 40 in attendance.
The Dubois Area Historical Society has two additional events scheduled at this time, but there could be more put together as opportunity permits.
Its annual dinner in September does not yet have a scheduled date or speaker. The program will have some connection to the anniversary, and usually attracts 60 to 80 people.
The society’s Spirit of DuBois Lantern Walk will be held in October. The date will be set at a committee meeting later this month, and this event also needs to be coordinated with other DuBois events.
The theme is the 150th anniversary of DuBois. Groups are taken on a walk (this year in the downtown area), where they encounter costumed performers who deliver a monologue about historic events or people.
Advance reservations are taken for the walk with a $5 admission for adults and $3 admission for students, with children admitted free. It attracts 150 to 250 people most years.
In addition to these events, the society is helping organize a two-day event for DuBois’ Sesquicentennial Celebration.
It includes an official opening ceremony on June 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Edward V. Cherry Amphitheater at the Dubois City Park, and a street dance at the Parkside Community Center parking lot, from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
And then, on June 4, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., there will be a car show with an array of food vendors along West Long Avenue.
The DuBois Area Historical Society will release additional information as the events approach.