In 1920 we marked our first 100 years with a six-day birthday party, but it's taking a whole year to celebrate the 150th birthday or Sesquicentennial.

Perhaps as George S. Diener, chairman of the 15-member Sesquicentennial Commission, has suggested, "We have more to celebrate."

MAGIC DATE for the 1920 observance was June 7 -- the day in 1820 when the site commissioners met at John McCormick's log cabin, near the present West Washington Street bridge, and formally voted to locate the new capital at the junction of White River and Fall Creek.

For the city's Sesquicentennial this year, the starting date was Jan. 6, the day in 1821 when the Indiana General Assembly accepted the report of the site commissioners and formally and legally created the new capital and named it Indianapolis.

Although the 1920 centennial celebration lasted only six days, they were busy and crowded.

The Kick-Off was a mass meeting at Tomlinson's Hall on Saturday, June 5, followed on Sunday by church services in the morning and a matinee and evening musical performance at the Fairgrounds Coliseum featuring a 400-voice choir, soloists and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

On Monday, June 7, about half of the city's population of 314,000 came downtown at dusk to view a gigantic street parade depicting events in our city's history. There were 14 bands and 122 floats, most of them electrically lighted.

The scene shifted to the Coliseum again on Tuesday, June 8, and a pageant telling the Indianapolis story. The performance was so well received it was repeated on Thursday, adding a sixth day to the originally planned five-day celebration. Its finale was an elaborate ballet summarizing the progressive city of 1920.

Wednesday's finale took place on the White River. Thousands lined the banks between 16th and 30th Street to watch replicas of early riverboats, electrically illuminated, make their way along the river. A band concert and fireworks concluded the evening.

Indianapolis' 1971 celebration formally began on Jan. 6 with a multi-media musical extravaganza, "We Celebrate Our City" at the Murat Theater.

Written and produced by W. Randolph Galvin and based on Edward A. Leary's book, "Indianapolis, The Story of a City," the production played to capacity audiences for three nights.

Opening night was marked by special ceremonies, Mayor Richard G. Lugar cut a 150th birthday cake and George S. Diener, Sesquicentennial chairman, crowned Miss Diane Jean Buchanan, 19-year-old secretary, as Sesquicentennial Queen.

January also brought a special Sesquicentennial exhibit of state and local artists at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and a showing of Christian Schrader drawings at the Children's Museum. In February, through the co-operation of the Museum of Art, three massive contemporary metal sculptures were exhibited on Monument Circle.

Spring brought new momentum to the program.

The Children's Museum launched a photographic contest; schools staged special programs including the first graders at School 70 who presented an original playlet with music, "Then and Now"; and special Girl Scout, Camp Fire Girls and Boy Scout programs.

A colorful pageant, "Call This a Beginning," was staged at the William Conner Pioneer Settlement near Noblesville on May 22 to commemorate the day in 1820 when Governor Jonathan Jennings and the commissioners named to choose a site for a new capital, arrived at the Conner farm.

May also brought the International Conference of Cities in which the Sesquicentennial was prominently featured; a Sesquicentennial float for the "500 Festival" Paradeand announcement of winners of a Sesquicentennial photographic contest jointly sponsored by the Children's Museum and the Sesquicentennial Commission.

In late May, one of the year's best selling book was published, "Sesqui-Samplings." Written by a woman's committee of the Sesquicentennial Commission and illustrated by Harry A. Davis, the book combined old and new recipes with vignettes of the city. Its first edition of 10,000 copies was sold within a few months.

Joining with black organizations of the city, the Sesquicentennial Commission was a sponsor of "Black Expo" at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on June 18, 19, 20. This official Sesquicentennial multi-media exhibit, designed to celebrate black progress to both state and city, played to thousands of people during its run.

A week earlier, June 11, 12, 13, nearly 2,000 Civil War buffs from North and South Carolina met in bivouac, competitive drill and a battle enactment at nearby Fort Benjamin Harrison to mark the days when Indianapolis was a key Civil War capital.

June also brought the Sesquicentennial's first major sports event -- a celebrity golf tourney at the Sycamore Springs Golf Club on June 26 with an entry list of 150.

Climax of the busy June, was a 150-mile bicycle ride staged by the Central Indiana Bicycling Association under the Sesquicentennial banner.

Nearly 200 entries were received and 65 riders completed the 150-mile run on Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27.

Perhaps the year's biggest event was the Sesquicentennial Free Street Fair and Fireworks Spectacular which took place in a 4-block downtown area on Sunday, July 4. A crowd estimated at between 75,000 to 100,000 persons turned out for the dozen or so free shows and exhibits and the fireworks at 9 o'clock.

A highlight of the event was the arrival from Corydon of horse drawn wagons from Corydon re-creating the delivery of state records to the new capital of Indianapolis in 1823 -- a project of the Central Indiana Council of Boy Scouts.

The summer months also brought decisions to produce a slide and strip film for Indianapolis schools and a motion picture -- the contracts awarded to R.S.V.P. and Life-Time Productions after competitive bids. Both productions are scheduled to be completed this fall.

In August the Central Canal was designated as a National Waterways Landmark with ceremonies at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

September and October brought two major and contrasting Sesquicentennial programs -- "Faith for a City" an interdenominational reaffirmation of faith in God and mankind on Sept. 26, and an antique car and race program at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Oct. 10.

"Faith for a City" was staged on the north steps of the Indiana War Memorial and marked the world premiere of "A Song on Mankind" performed by 2,000 singers and 200 musicians under Thomas Bricetti, conductor. The program drew a crowd estimated at between 40,000 and 75,000.

Indianapolis' Sesquicentennial year formally ends on Dec. 31, but for those who like celebrations there's another one coming up.

It was on the last day of December in 1821 -- 150 years ago -- that the Indiana General Assembly created Marion County.

Another Sesquicentennial, anyone?