Some community members will be sending a message to the distant future.

The Youth and Shelter Services of Ames recently selected winners from entries in the Sesquicentennial Time Capsule Contest, to be placed in the Family History Plaza of the former Ames Municipal Building.

“We want the items to show what life is like today,” said Andrea Lex, public information officer for Y.S.S.

“We did not want to use anything electronic because they might not be able to use it,” Lex said. She said the “items would last the test of time.”

Some of the winning items chosen were 50 pens and pencils with logos of Ames businesses and organizations, a Sesquicentennial license plate, an aerial photo of the Iowa State campus, a bronze replica of the “Gentle Doctor” veterinarian statue created by sculptor Christian Petersen, newspaper ads for groceries and cars, a sports team baseball cap, takeout menus from local restaurants, a pamphlet put out by the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau and homework assignments. The items were submitted by 62 Story County youths, ranging in age from 5 to 16 years, and one Iowa State student. Samantha Simon, a senior in animal science, submitted the idea of an aerial photo of campus.

Along with those winning items and runners-up that have been chosen to be in the capsule, Y.S.S. and the Story County Sesquicentennial Commission will add other important items to the capsule, Lex said.

The winners will be recognized at a ceremony “Y.S.S.: Preserving the Past—Preparing for the Future” on Wednesday, April 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Scheman Building.

The time capsule will be made of an industrial plastic and will be buried under a large marker, Lex said. She also said that a crypt will be used to ensure there will be no leaks.

The time capsule will be buried on or around December 28, depending upon the weather, Lex said.

This date was chosen because it is the day of Iowa’s 150th birthday, and the Sesquicentennial Time Capsule won’t be removed until Iowa’s tricentennial birthday in 2146.

Y.S.S. is in the process of renovating the former Ames Municipal Building, to be renamed the Richard O. Jacobson Youth and Family Center.

The building has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.