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Before the official kick-off of the Bicentennial festivities on Tuesday evening, crowds gathered downtown on Monday afternoon for the annual Bainbridge Middle School Wax Museum. Students dressed as famous members of the community from every era, from the 1800s up to the present, standing motionless in front of displays like living exhibits. This year saw nearly 100 students participating, with exhibits filling both the court house and the Decatur County Historical and Genealogical Society Museum. Displays included historic pillars of the county like John W. Callahan, and stretched to present notable figures, like Kirby Smart and the Historic Society’s own president Rosalyn Palmer.

This is the first time the middle school has collaborated with the Historical Society to put this event on. Palmer spoke with the Post-Searchlight about the event, explaining, “When they were planning theirs, they wanted to tie it to the Bicentennial, and when they called and asked about it, we already had planned an event that was a pre-Bicentennial open house kind of thing… and this was the only vacant night, other than a Wednesday, which is church night. So we said, ‘Let’s don’t compete, let’s do it together.’” Palmer hopes that the Historical Society can collaborate with the middle school on these projects again in the future.

BMS social studies teacher Patricia Isom has worked on the wax museum before, prior to the pandemic at Hutto Middle School. According to her, her students enjoyed the experience. “They love it… they picked who they wanted, and those that weren’t sure, we had a list of different people.” Isom also stated she hopes to collaborate with the museum on this project again. “It’s important to embrace the past,” she said.

BMS Georgia Studies teacher Preston Poitevint also spoke with the Post-Searchlight about the event, recounting how this started several weeks ago, with students going on a field trip downtown to learn more about local history. “We are, as teachers and students, proud to represent the Bainbridge Middle School, and we’re very proud of our students, and our community for coming out.”