Rockmart to celebrate 150th anniversary

Events and programs marking Rockmart’s 150th year as a city are set to last throughout the year and focus on more than just the past.

Plans for Rockmart’s sesquicentennial celebration were unveiled at the November meeting of the Rockmart City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 9, with Cathy Matthews and her team of volunteers leading the way.

“Not only do we want to celebrate the history of Rockmart, we want to celebrate Rockmart now and our future. We want to celebrate our culture, our diversity. We want to celebrate what we are now, our industry, our businesses, our city government,” Matthews said at the meeting. “And we want to put this out in front of everybody so that this information can be used in the future to promote us and our quality of life.”

Matthews said every citizen, religious group, community organization, cultural group, civic organization, business and school is encouraged to participate in Rockmart150, either through volunteering to be on committees or participating in some of the scheduled events.

The 150th anniversary logo has been approved and will be available to for-profit businesses and nonprofits that wish to sell items with the logo after they receive permission from the city.

Several events are in the works for the Rockmart Civic Arts Commission, including a special exhibit for fall 2022 featuring local artists, and the creation of a mural in the historic downtown area.

“Decades of Music” at the Rockmart Theatre featuring both music and Rockmart history and a concert at the recently-completed amphitheater are planned for August, 2022.

The Rockmart Community Chorus will feature their history, directors and favorite songs from past concerts for the spring concert and local authors will be recognized and honored by the literary committee at a reception and book signing.

The Rockmart History Museum exhibits will highlight historic homes, churches and buildings, family heritage Welsh/Heritage Festival, historic downtown, past and present businesses and industry. There are also plans to highlight the history of the city’s fire, police, public works and recreation departments.

Signage to identify historic homes, districts and buildings will be placed throughout the community and provide historic information of the community.

August 22,1872 is the official date of the City of Rockmart charter, and the city will celebrate the charter signing with special events throughout the month.

“This is a special year for our city, and we need your help to make it successful. We will be adding additional events all year,” Matthews said.