Over the past few weeks, preparations have been underway in Jefferson City for the Bicentennial Inauguration festivities.

On 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, the Bicentennial Inaugural Parade will begin highlighting the history and significance of all 114 counties across the state of Missouri. The parade will take place in downtown Jefferson City. The Capitol will be also open to the public at 8 a.m. with a number of special exhibits on display until 2:30 p.m.

The exhibits include Missouri professional sports championship trophies, the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt, the Missouri State Parks Quilt, and the Missouri Bicentennial Mural.

Members, their families and guests will spend their late afternoon preparing for the evening celebration on the Capitol’s north lawn. The Grand March begins on the Capitol’s North staircase at 6:30 p.m. At 8:45 p.m., Gov. Mike Parson and his wife, Teresa, will be introduced, and the ball will officially begin. A fireworks display will take place at 9:30 p.m. The ball officially ends at 11 pm. This is an outdoor event on the north lawn of the Capitol. Light hors d’oeuvres and bev- erages will be available.

This celebration is an exciting event, and all are welcome to join in the celebration. If you’d like to attend the Inaugural

festivities, I’d encourage you to RSVP online at MovingMOForward.com/Ball. I’ll be hosting guests in my office, in room 203, until the Bicentennial Inauguration festivities move outdoors. I look forward to seeing everyone in Jefferson City to help celebrate 200 years of Missouri history.

On Saturday afternoon our office will be serving some Bison-tennial chili. I hope you can stop by. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office.

(State Rep. Bruce Sassmann, a Republican from Bland, may be reached at 573-751-1344, or via email to bruce. sassmann@house.mo.gov)