Malia Riggs

Elmore Autauga News

The City of Wetumpka hosted a grand opening for the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery & Visitors Center Saturday where Mayor Jerry Willis proclaimed the month of June as Small Cities Month. The center is located at 124 Company Street in downtown.

Approximately 85 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period, a meteor struck the Earth’s surface near what is now Wetumpka.
The impact created a massive crater, almost five miles wide, which is now partially eroded.
The hills east of downtown Wetumpka are the remnants of the crater’s rim.
This phenomenon is one of only 200 world-recognized craters and has been the subject of research since 1891.
Learn more at Alabama Is Home To One Of The Rarest Crater Impact Sites On Earth (thetravel.com)

In conjunction with the grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting, the City of Wetumpka also hosted the National League of Cities, or NLC, for their Centennial Roadshow. This is where the NLC showcases 100 years and 100 cities around the U.S., with Wetumpka being one of them.

The NLC’s main focus is strengthening local leadership, fostering innovation and driving forward policies that enhance the quality of life in communities nationwide. The NLC highlighted and praised Wetumpka’s elected officials, the city’s achievements in the community and the invaluable partnerships that have blossomed over the last century throughout the local community.

During the event the City of Wetumpka also held a commemorative ribbon cutting, signifying the official opening of the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery & Visitors Center in downtown Wetumpka.

Mayor Willis and Andrew Stieb, the Wetumpka tourism manager, read the proclamation proclaiming June as Small Cities Month.

“We’re very proud to be able to work together to provide this facility to welcome visitors to our community, whether they’re local or far away. We can educate them about the crater, what our offerings are, and local activities. “We’re just very grateful that we are able to come together to celebrate the opening of this facility today,” Stieb said.

Seantae Beyers, the NLC executive director of member and partner engagement, also addressed the large crowd in the Impact Center. Beyers thanked the elected officials, members of the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission and the public for their support for not only their community but small towns throughout Alabama.

Beyers also presented the City of Wetumpka with a poster signifying the NLC’s Centennial Roadshow showcasing large cities, small cities, rural cities and suburban cities to hang in the Wetumpka City Hall. Elected officials, City employees and members of the Crater Commission all signed a copy of the poster for NLC to hang up in their headquarters as well.

The event ended with a ribbon cutting and Willis thanking everyone for taking the time to be a part of history.