Town officials are hoping to determine if a time capsule featured in a 1976 celebration of the nation’s 200th anniversary at Fair Haven’s Bicentennial Hall was buried or misplaced. (Click to enlarge)
Closing in on a celebration of its centennial, Fair Haven is having some trouble tracking historical time capsules, the Asbury Park Press reported Wednesday.
With food, fireworks, music and other details of the June 16 public celebration squared away, borough officials are trying to determine whether to assemble a time capsule for posterity, and wondering past time capsules are accounted for, the Press reports.
From reporter Larry Higgs’ account, referring to “other time capsules buried in the borough 36 years ago, during the nations bicentennial in 1976:”
Were not certain what the status of time capsules in Fair Haven are, said Theresa Casagrande, borough administrator, after Mondays council meeting. Were looking to dig up some historical knowledge, and see how many are buried and whether it is appropriate to open them.
Officials havent decided if a time capsule will be buried for the boroughs centennial this year, filled with artifacts depicting life in the borough in 2012, she said.
I know we did find a time capsule in the cellar of borough hall that was never planted as part of the school project (in 1976) and returned it to the school, Casagrande said. (Historian) Pat Drummond seemed to recall there was a time capsule at Bicentennial Hall as part of that celebration.
That time capsule remained unopened until it was returned to the superintendent of schools, she said.
There was one in 1976 buried across the street somewhere in Memorial Park, said Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli. The question is, is it time to open it, or time to put down another time capsule?
Casagrande said officials have to determine if that is a different time capsule or the school time capsule found when the basement of borough hall was being cleaned out.
There may be one more problem. The instructions for opening one of the time capsules may be inside the time capsule, he said.
