North Kentucky News

Fifty years from now, residents of Covington will gather at the Covington Central Riverfront neighborhood to open a time capsule installed in May 2025. The city is encouraging citizens to contribute items for this time capsule, which will be placed within the wall of a new promenade on Russell Street.

The "Fill a Time Capsule" event is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, in front of the Latonia Branch of the Kenton County Public Library. Covington Economic Development Director Tom West stated, “We want to offer every resident, business, and organization in Covington the opportunity to let future generations know what life was like in The Cov in 2025.”

The city has partnered with the Kenton County Public Library and LINK nky media for this event. Former WCPO anchor Evan Millward will host what West describes as “a mashup of the PBS Antiques Roadshow and speed dating.” The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

LINK nky has enlisted Norse Media students from Northern Kentucky University to record short video explanations from residents about their submissions. Lacy Starling, president and CEO of LINK nky, remarked that it’s an opportunity to capture memories: "Our job is to tell the story of the Northern Kentucky community, and this will be a really fun way to preserve those stories for future generations."

Although not all physical items can fit into the capsule due to its size (20 inches by 16.2 inches by 16 inches), videos capturing these submissions will be stored on a flash drive inside it.

Dave Schroeder, executive director of Kenton County Public Library, expressed pride in participating: “This time capsule will not only provide a snapshot of Covington in 2025 but will also highlight the rich culture and innovation of the community’s people - the heart and soul of Covington.”

Angela Washington, wife of Mayor Ron Washington and First Lady of Covington, along with library staff members from Local History and Genealogy Department, will curate selected items for inclusion. Washington said she looks forward to helping select memorable items: “I am excited to assist with putting the time capsule together... It’s so thrilling to think about residents 50 years from now opening the time capsule and literally touching our generation!”

The contents are expected to be finalized by April 30 ahead of a dedication ceremony set for Tuesday, May 13. This ceremony coincides with presentations for Authenti-CITY and Historic Preservation Awards at Russell Street and Stewart Alley.

West emphasized that they want future generations' interest piqued by what's included: “In 50 years we don’t want this to be like Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone’s vault: empty! We want The Cov to come forward with all kinds of things they think will interest people in future.”