Missourians are encouraged to participate in a statewide ice cream social to celebrate the 200th birthday of Missouri.

A news release says while the event will be held August 10, 2021, Missouri’s statehood day, the planning begins now.

Missouri 2021 is looking for communities and organizations to organize an ice cream social.

Bicentennial coordinator for the State Historical Society of Missouri Michael Sweeney says, “We were looking for a statewide event where every Missourian could participate in the bicentennial, so why not a good old-fashioned ice cream social to celebrate our state’s milestone?”

Sweeney said the idea behind the event is to bring everyone together for 2021 to enjoy a tasty treat from a favorite ice cream shop or by making “homemade” ice cream from specially-created flavors for the day or enjoying old favorites using a hand-crank machine.

Registration for the Missouri 2021 Ice Cream Social is open to businesses and nonprofit organizations. The only requirements are for groups to register their event to be officially recognized for the bicentennial and to hold their ice cream socials on the afternoon or evening of Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Missouri 2021 will be sharing submitted photos of the ice cream social using the hashtag #ScoopsAcrossMissouri.

To register an event visit the website, missouri2021.org.