Memorabilia, high school yearbooks, kid-created art and letters to your future self are just some of the things that could be put in a time capsule.
City of Farmington officials plan to gather all of these things and more for a time capsule that will be installed Nov. 12 at the Farmington Museum at Gateway Park.
The time capsule will be part of Farmington’s 125th birthday celebration that is coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“We’ve done a lot of talking about what would work best and be exciting for the community,” said Nathan Augustine, museum director.
Augustine told the city council that the museum has “totally revamped” the alcove area by the museum classrooms with a space to fit a time capsule in.
“We are going to encase it in glass,” Augustine said, adding the items will be on display for the public to view.
“I saw the time capsule. It’s very nice looking,” Mayor Nate Duckett said. “That will be awesome to have it out there, because when they get buried, they get forgotten.”
Duckett asked if a time capsule from 25 years ago would be opened.
Augustine said items were collected a quarter century ago for a time capsule, but instead of being buried, they were cataloged and shelved.
“There’s nothing opened. The things were dated in the catalog from 2008,” she said.
Those items also will be displayed as part of the new time capsule exhibit, Augustine said.
He highlighted some of the things being collected for the current time capsule: high school yearbooks, memorabilia from the city’s birthday and the U.S. anniversary, as well “photos from 25 years ago, 125 years ago and today all in the same location.”
The museum also wants to include the Artemis moon mission in the time capsule so children will have an opportunity to “design and create a mission patch,” Augustine said. The display will represent “who they are, their identity and what their life will be like in 25 years.”
The museum will facilitate the creation of the moon mission patches and letters from July 4 to Oct. 31.
Children, adults and city officials will be encouraged to write letters to their future selves.
“We would like you to write a letter to a future mayor or councilor,” City Manager Shana Reeves said to the current mayor and councilors.
Augustine said people are welcome to drop items off and participate throughout the preparation period.
A party is being planned for 3:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Farmington Museum to celebrate the sealing of the capsule, featuring crafts, a DJ and Jetsons cartons.
“We want to have kids there and have activities for them, so they get excited about it and be there 25 years from now,” Augustine said.
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