Members of Congress and individuals across the nation were involved in the celebration of the Library of Congress Bicentennial and America's richly diverse culture through the Local Legacies Project. For more than a year, Local Legacies teams documented the creative arts, crafts, and customs representing traditional community life; signature events such as festivals and parades; how communities observe local and national historical events; and the occupations that defined a community's life.

Almost 1,300 Local Legacies projects--from all 50 states, the trusts, territories, and District of Columbia--were registered by Congress. Photographs, written reports, sound and video recordings, newspaper clippings, posters, and other materials from close to 1,000 Local Legacies projects have already been sent to the Library to become a permanent part of the collection of the American Folklife Center. Like a century's-end time capsule, the scenes, sights, and events of everyday America featured in these projects are a testament to the uniqueness of our nation and to the pride of its citizens in their heritage.

On May 23, 2000, a reception was held in the magnificent Great Hall of the restored 1897 Thomas Jefferson Building honoring the members of Congress and Local Legacies Project participants. Two thousand members and participants attended this celebration of their contributions to preserving a record of the traditions and local history of so many American communities. For a sampling of Local Legacies projects featured at the May 23rd event, Click Here.