Helping to mark 100 years

County looks for centenarians for milestone event

To celebrate Broward County’s 100th anniversary next year, officials are reaching out to 100-year-old residents and businesses to join the festivities.

Along with various celebrations planned throughout 2015, the county wants to honor residents and businesses that will or have already celebrated their centennial.

“It’s a significant event, and we wanted to honor them somehow,” said Jody Horne-Leshinsky, assistant director of the Broward County Cultural Division.

The county will be hosting a variety of art and performance projects to demonstrate its diversity through its “Broward 100 — Celebrating the Art of Community” program.

Officials said finding 100-year-old Broward residents and businesses will help add historic perspective to the celebrations.

To qualify, residents or established businesses must have turned 100 by October 2015 and reside in the county. Participants can fill out forms at Broward100.org that ask a variety of questions about life in Broward.

Horne-Leshinsky said they hope to find some of the first residents of the county. Once the forms are submitted, officials will contact some of the centennials to interview them, and some will be honored during next year’s celebrations.

“This is quite a milestone to reach,” Horne-Leshinsky said. “We are grown up, but 100 is pretty young compared to countries in Europe and cities around the New York area.”

For more information, visit Broward100.org.