Volunteers needed for bicentennial celebration

Planning for Tecumseh’s Bicentennial Celebration has been well underway for months, with countless committee members coming together and preparing for what is sure to be an unforgettable four days of festivities. As dedicated and hardworking as they are, however, these individuals cannot do it all. That is where the rest of us come in. Volunteers are needed for a variety of events.

Interested in spending some time immersed in Tecumseh’s history? The Tecumseh Area Historical Museum harkens.

• Help is needed Friday, July 19-Sunday, July 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., to sell tickets for the Promenade Historic Home Tours and Brookside Cemetery tours and to distribute information to those attending the Bicentennial Celebration. This is a great opportunity for adults and teens to get involved. The museum will be a popular stop for many attendees and will serve as a welcome center. To volunteer, contact Cynthia Given at 734-604-3859 or email the museum at historictecumseh@gmail.com.

• If stepping through the threshold of history is more your style, the Promenade Historic Home Tours offer that opportunity.Volunteer docents are needed. Each docent acts as a host to greet visitors at one of the eight houses featured on the tour. Volunteer shifts run 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. on both Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21. Prepared scripts will be available for reference, and docents are welcome to dress in period outfits if they desire. As additional incentive to become part of history, all volunteers will receive a free ticket to view the other seven houses in the tour. To volunteer or for further information, contact Glenna Stroud at 517.403.0455.

• Do you love a parade?
You are invited to lend a hand during the Historical Parade of the Bicentennial Celebration, set for Saturday, July 20 at 10 a.m. in downtown Tecumseh. Help is needed prior to the parade to organize participants at the starting point and ensure that the lineup is ready to go. Volunteers will gather at the former Tecumseh Products parking lot on South Maumee Street at 8 a.m. For specific information or to volunteer, contact Parade Marshal Gary Naugle at 517.673.0993.

• The organizers of the Tecumseh Products Retrospective Exhibit are looking for former employees to help oversee their event.
Your services are needed at the Underwood-Orr Post of the American Legion, 101 W. Pottawatamie, Thursday, July 18, and Sunday, July 21, 2-6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, July 19 and 20, 12-8 p.m. You can commit to whatever hours your schedule allows. This is the ideal opportunity to connect with fellow former employees of Tecumseh Products Company as well as with members of the community who have an interest in learning more about this prominent part of Tecumseh’s history. For more information, contact Cheri Hinkleman at 423.5906 or via email at chinkleman@comcast.net.

• There will be much celebrating taking place during the History and Cultural Palooza at Tecumseh High School, 760 Brown St., Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20. And helping hands are needed both days 6-8:30 p.m.
Current students can show their school spirit by volunteering for a variety of posts around campus — in the front hallway as greeters, in the gym showcasing the history of “The Jungle” mural or the historical athletic accomplishments of past and present THS students in the Athletic Hall of Fame, in the main hallway where TPS student artwork will be featured, out on the grass field near the Sculpture Garden for old-fashioned games, and in the media center with alumni and retired THS teachers exhibiting yearbooks and THS memorabilia. Speaking of alumni and retired THS teachers, this is your chance to reunite and reminisce while also lending a hand with Palooza events.

To volunteer or for further information, contact Mary Tommelein at 517.215.1732 or via email at m.tommelein@gmail.com

These are just some of the ways the public can get involved in the Bicentennial Celebration. For additional details about options for volunteering, reach out to Committee Chair Vicki Riddle at 517-605-0592. She is happy to answer your questions and steer you in the right direction.