The celebration of Grand Junction’s 100th anniversary. Activities began in September of 1981, corresponding with the 100-year anniversary of the settlement of the first white people in Grand Junction after the forced expulsion and resettlement of the Ute Indians from the area. Activities continued into 1982.
Such activities included the recording of several radio plays about area history for the Grand Junction Centennial Celebration Radio History Theater series. These radio plays were broadcast on local radio stations once a week over the course of a year, beginning on September 26, 1981.
The Mesa County Historical Society and the Museum of Western Colorado also put on a pageant/theater presentation at Stocker Stadium in Lincoln Park. Each evening for two weeks, an actor dressed as John Otto narrated the history of the town, while other actors presented scenes from that history.
The town held a centennial celebration parade in 1982. During the parade, the Grand Junction’s oldest native, Eugene Perry, was honored. Members of the Centennial Celebration Committee tasked with planning the pageant and other events included chairman Robert “Bob” Collins, Al Look, historian John Brumgardt, and Dick Weber.
