Springfield Bicentennial
Springfield Bicentennial was the 200th-anniversary celebration of the founding of Springfield, commemorated with historical activities, a parade, and a public celebration honoring the town's founder, Jebediah Springfield.
History[edit]
The bicentennial marked 200 years since Springfield's founding. In preparation, Springfield organized a large public celebration and parade. Principal Skinner announced that the town's 200th birthday was only a week away and that every school class would contribute to the local festivities.
As part of the preparations, Lisa's class was assigned to write essays about Jebediah Springfield, the town's celebrated founder. The best 18 essays were to be preserved in the school library. At the same time, residents could volunteer to portray historical figures and occupations in the bicentennial parade.
The town also established a Town Jubilation Committee, consisting of Principal Seymour Skinner, Chief Clancy Wiggum, Mayor Joe Quimby, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, and Dr. Julius Hibbert. Their responsibility was connected to organizing and overseeing the celebration.
The festivities included historical reenactments, floats, period costumes, and a parade through Springfield. Homer Simpson became particularly interested in participating as the town crier. Although Ned Flanders was initially selected, Homer demonstrated a much more effective performance and eventually took over the role during the celebration.
The bicentennial also became the setting for Lisa's discovery of the truth about Jebediah Springfield. She initially intended to expose him as Hans Sprungfeld, a murderous pirate, during the celebration. However, after discovering how strongly the legend of Jebediah had inspired the people of Springfield, Lisa ultimately chose not to reveal the truth publicly. The bicentennial therefore ended with the town continuing to celebrate Jebediah as its heroic founder.
