Bicentennial

The Mercer Island
Bicentennial Celebration

Early in 1975 the City Council of Mercer Island appointed Amos Wood, member of the City Council, to administer the Bicentennial activities for the 200th anniversary of the United States of America.

The national committee had developed a policy that included celebrating this event in every community across the nation.

Amos Wood placed a small article in the Mercer Island Reporter asking for volunteers to let him know if they were interested in helping on this event. A few people responded. He also contacted the service organizations for representatives, as well as the Chamber of Commerce.

Amos Wood called a meeting Ruth Fricke, Larry Lahey, Judy Gellatly, Earnest Whitaker, Bobbie Coe, Babs Davis and perhaps one or two others attended.

An evening meeting was held during the summer of 1974 at the Mercer Island Library. Amos Wood conducted a brainstorming session which included ideas such as including a festival, building a new city hall, adding to the history writing that Judy Gellatly had started, and several other projects.

Spirit of '76 Medallion

During the nationwide celebration in 1976 commemorating the bicentennial of the start of the American Revolution, Mercer Islanders formed a Bicentennial Committee to join in the celebration.

At the History Society's general meeting March 18, 2002, Ruth Fricke, the Bicentennial committee chairwoman, nostalgically recalled those days - 25 years later, using colored slides and newspaper stories to help re-create the spirit of those days. To each member of the audience, Mrs. Fricke gave as a souvenir the special medallion that was sold to help finance the cost of the celebration.

That brought forth this idea: to sell the remaining medallions and use the money to help further the current goals of the Society, the priority to put up more historical markers.

The design for the bronze medallion was created by Ted Rand, a nationally acclaimed artist and illustrator. Mr. Rand his wife live on the Island and together have collaborated in many books for children.

The circular 1 1/2 inch medallion depicts on it obverse side the words American Revolution Bicentennial Era Celebration and an outline of Mercer Island from which sprouts two pine trees. The design on the reverse side depicts an Indian canoeing in Lake Washington, and in the background trees and Mount Rainier.