As the calendar turns to a new year, a number of city residents’ thoughts are turning to the city’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The big celebration is set for the fall when the Peachtree City Rotary Club hosts its third annual Dragon Boat International Festival in the fall at Drake Field.

In some ways the party will last all year long as a number of events will carry the 50th anniversary theme such as the July 4 festivities, said city Leisure Services Director Randy Gaddo. Other events that are supported but not run by the city will also have “tie-ins” to the city’s 50th, including the Peachtree City Classic Road Race, the Southern Crescent Alzheimer’s Memory Walk and others, Gaddo said.

The city’s actual “birthday” is March 9 which correlates with the day the city received its charter from the Georgia legislature. Because of potential weather issues in March, the city is not planning an outdoor celebration at that time, Gaddo said.

Instead there will be an invitation-only event at the library where the city will dedicated the newly redecorated Floy Farr and Joel Cowan rooms, Gaddo said.
The first “big” event of the year with a 50th anniversary spin to it is the annual Pancake Breakfast hosted at McIntosh High School by the Peachtree City Kiwanis Club on Saturday, Jan. 31.

The Farr room has long served as a meeting room and also is routinely used for elections. The Cowan room has long been used for historical documents. Both honor the men who are widely considered to be the “city fathers” in the banker Farr and the developer Cowan.

Another city-run event that will have a big 50th birthday theme is the annual Christmas festivities, Gaddo said. There will be a special program before the annual trail of Christmas lights is followed on golf carts to City Hall where the Christmas tree will be lit, Gaddo said.
Also in the works is a softcover book about the city’s history featuring many older photographs of the way things were years ago. The project is undertaken by city staff and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library and the money raised will benefit the library corporation, Gaddo said.

The book features information gleaned from a host of interviews and oral histories collected as part of the venture.
“It’s really cool. I think a lot of people are going to want those,” Gaddo said.
The books will be a high-quality softcover style and should be rather affordable, he added.