Hey, Culpeper: Time to party like it’s 1759

By Allison Brophy Champion

Published: January 8, 2009

Get out your powdered wig and buckled shoes – the town of Culpeper is getting ready to party like it’s 1759. Maybe even Bill Clinton will come back for the big bash in September.

Tangible planning for the town’s major anniversary celebration later this year began in earnest Wednesday night in Town Hall with the inaugural meeting of the 250th Anniversary Oversight Committee.

Though cold and rainy outside, eight of nine committee members attended, unanimously electing T.I. Martin, town native, and Tom Huggard, former town manager, as co-chairmen of the group charged with planning an anniversary celebration.

The committee selected the weekend of Sept. 25 for that event, which could take many forms, including appearances by state, and apparently, federal dignitaries.

Martin, a retired executive and former president of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce, brought up Clinton right away.

“So, if you want politicians they need a lot of time,” he said, urging the committee to select a date for the main event at its first meeting Wednesday. “The Clintons were here on the way to (his) inauguration, maybe we should try to get them here again.”

The former president from Arkansas also stopped by downtown Culpeper last year on the presidential campaign trail for his wife — and to buy some Belgian chocolates.

Later, Martin also mentioned inviting newly appointed U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and former governor. Culpeper Tourism Director Beth Burns, serving in an advisory capacity to the committee, said state government is already taking notice of the town’s 250th — Del. Ed Scott, a Republican from Madison, is introducing a resolution in the statehouse in recognition of the anniversary, she said.

As for how the town plans to celebrate its colonial founding and for how many days, that is still to be decided though many possibilities were tossed around Wednesday like:

- A parade – Committee member Donnie Johnston, a Culpeper author and newsman, suggested the non-motorized kind like in the olden days with horses and people on foot and a float promoting the date of the main event.

- Commemorative coins, banners, stickers, stationary and other promotional items marked with a 250th anniversary logo

- Period costumes and ball

- A Miss and/or Mrs. Culpeper Contest, a.k.a. Culpeper Queens – beauty contests were all the rage in the 1950s when Culpeper celebrated its bicentennial . Committee members questioned if such an event would still garner interest today or if it needed to be tweaked for a more modern audience — perhaps, “Culpeper’s Got Talent?”

- A resurgence of the Pink Ladies, an outrageous vaudeville-like variety act that had men dressing up like women on the Culpeper stage some 50 years ago

- History events, education of town history, updating of books and documents about Culpeper history and involving Culpeper’s various civic groups in the anniversary

- Besides the central celebration in September, creating “a 250th umbrella” theme for all special events in town this year, including the Fourth of July, Remembrance Days in April and Culpeper Day in May.

Committee member Johnson Lane, a town native and Culpeper historian, also suggested that the town do something special in conjunction with historic Antioch Baptist Church, a black congregation downtown that celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

The committee holds its next meeting next Thursday at 3 p.m. in Town Hall to select a logo and specific events for the town birthday party in September.