The nearly 2,000 people who attended the Local Legacies Project reception in the Library's Great Hall on the evening of May 23 were as much a snapshot of America at the beginning of the new millennium as the cultural traditions they documented.
Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) celebrates his state's Local Legacies with constituents at a reception in the Great Hall on May 23. - Yusef El-Amin
Members of Congress and their staff, Library staff and participants from all across the country who attended the event — some people in ethnic dress — formed a tapestry of the multicultural nation at the turn of the century. Diverse musical traditions were represented by the Monumental Brass Quintet, Mariachi Los Amigos and a klezmer group known as Hot Kugel.
"The Local Legacies Project is the cornerstone of the Bicentennial," said the Librarian, who thanked the 412 members of Congress who recognized the Library's Bicentennial through this unprecedented collaboration of Congress, the Library and the American people to document the customs, traditions, events, foods and crafts that are indigenous to their regions. He also thanked the more than 4,000 project participants, many of whom "traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles, from as far away as Alaska, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, to be part of this grand occasion and to recognize this stunning achievement."
Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) thanked the Library for "two centuries of tremendous service to Congress and the American people." Rep. Ehlers, whose daughter is a librarian, confessed to having "a great interest in libraries." He has served on city, county and state library boards, and is a member of the Joint Committee on the Library, the oldest committee in Congress. Last month, he introduced a resolution to commemorate the Library's Bicentennial.
"Congress is very proud of our Library, and it's your library, too," said Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library. "I'm so glad to see so many people enjoying this building, the most beautiful building in America," he added.
Left, another Local Legacy participant enjoys the Great Hall reception; right, Marvin Kranz of the Manuscript Division (left) answers questions of visitors from Louisiana. - Yusef El-Amin and Joseph Brooks
Participants were invited to Washington on May 22-24 to attend the reception, meet with their congressional representatives, tour the Library's facilities and see where their project documentation—photos, videos, recordings, narrative descriptions—is being cataloged. On all three days, tours were offered of the Thomas Jefferson Building, American Folklife Center, National Digital Library Learning Center and the Manuscript, Geography and Map, and Rare Book and Special Collections divisions. Some 500 project participants signed up for tours.
To unite participants with one another and their members of Congress during the reception, the Great Hall was set up with tables representing each state or group of states. Participants were given the opportunity to have their picture taken in the Members' Room with their congressional representative. Many of those who took advantage of this opportunity described it as "a thrill." For some, this was their first trip to the nation's capital and to the Library of Congress.
Those in attendance received an illustrated program, including descriptions of all 1,300 projects — a memorable keepsake of an unforgettable visit.
