Loxley centennial committee look to the future as they celebrate the past

By Allison Marlow
Posted 10/18/19

Small town history is quietly, and quickly, disappearing.

That is what Joan Richardson said she noticed first as she set out to collect oral histories from Loxley residents to help celebrate the …

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Loxley centennial committee look to the future as they celebrate the past

Posted

Small town history is quietly, and quickly, disappearing.

That is what Joan Richardson said she noticed first as she set out to collect oral histories from Loxley residents to help celebrate the town’s approaching 200th anniversary.

“A lot of people have passed on and it’s hard to find a family member who still has some of the information,” said Richardson, chairwoman of the Loxley Bicentennial Committee.

“As generations go by, more and more of the family information is being lost,” she said. “It was almost everyone I talked to.”

So, as part of her committee’s preparations for Founder’s Day in November, Richardson held a memory jar class for Loxley residents. There attendees were taught to use any type of jar to create a mini-scene of a memory.

The jars will be part of the display residents can enjoy at the Nov. 9 Founder’s Day event. The day-long celebration will feature historical displays, Alabama author book signings, a children’s village with activities, food trucks, face painting, live music and more.

Richardson said new events are being added to the day’s lineup nearly every week.

As a recently new Loxley resident, Richardson said she is excited to be leading the charge to host the celebration and begin preserving the town’s memories for the next anniversary.

“I feel truly honored to bring that to forefront again, so much been lost,” she said.

Two years of work and fun have been poured into Loxley’s bicentennial celebration, beginning with the placing of the Cedar Park Bicentennial Marker on Feb. 24, 2018. The culmination of the celebration is the Founders Day Event to be held at the Civic Center in Loxley Park on Nov. 9.