On Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 5:30 p.m., the commemorative logo honoring the up-coming quadricentennial of Mayflower’s landing just 10 years from now was formally unveiled. Members of the public were invited and many attended.

The event was opened by 400th Committee member Paula Peters, (Plimoth Plantation), who welcomed officials and guests, and introduced the other speakers. “As we establish this brand we too embark on a mission to commemorate that voyage, and the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims in Patuxet, which became Plymouth Colony and ultimately, Plymouth, Massachusetts, a place of great significance in the development of America and its diverse cultural heritage.”

“We are thrilled with this design and its ability to communicate the mission of the Plymouth 400th Committee to commemorate the anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower in 1620 and the role that Pilgrims played in the development of America as well as the sacrifices made by the indigenous people of the land,” said Kenneth Tavares, former Plymouth selectman and 400th Committee Vice-Chairman (standing in for Plymouth 400’s head, Harvard minister Rev. Peter Gomes), citing the Mayflower Compact as the origin of American self-government.

Flanked by members of the Plymouth Public Schools’ class of 2020, Senate President Therese Murray gave the keynote address. Following her remarks, the children raised a flag on the vessel's mainmast bearing the new logo.

The ceremony was well attended by local VIPs, including members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, Plymouth Selectmen, regional and state officials. The students, who are now entering the third grade, will follow the progress of the anniversary until they graduate in 2020. The ceremony was was followed by a reception in the Mayflower II exhibit area.

The commemorative logo, which was exclusively designed for the Plymouth 400th Committee by TKO Creative of Wellesley, will be used to promote the town’s special anniversary over the next decade, beginning with 400 limited edition long sleeved T-shirts created especially to commemorate the unveiling. The limited edition T-shirts will sell for $20.20 at Plimoth Plantation gift shops; the Pilgrim Hall Museum gift shop and Pioppi’s Liquors, with all proceeds going back to the Plymouth 2020 Committee. Funds raised from the proceeds of the T-shirts and other merchandise and sponsorship will help sustain the significant planning effort that is now under way.

The vision of the Plymouth 400th Committee is as follows:

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Landing of the Pilgrims in Patuxet, Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 through series of educational events and remembrances attended by a worldwide audience that highlight the contributions of the Pilgrims in the development of America, accentuate the history of New England as a region with Plymouth at its epicenter, and provide an historically accurate, culturally inclusive overview of the founding of our nation and its impact on America’s present and future.

           Goals:

• Provide programming and events over a year-long period (2019 – 2020) to serve an international audience of upwards of 500,000 visitors to Plymouth.
• Oversee a weekend-long series of events in August 2020 to commemorate the departure of the Pilgrims from Delftshaven, Holland in pursuit of freedom and a new life in a New World.
• Welcome upwards of 75,000 visitors over a weekend-long series of events in Plymouth scheduled to occur in August 2020. 
• Stage international head of state visits to Plymouth.
• Increase tourism, thereby increasing revenues to the Town of Plymouth and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Increase visibility for Plymouth, Massachusetts and its historical and cultural contributions to the world.
• Highlight the multi-cultural roots of America – English, Dutch and Native American. 
• Celebrate the continuing waves of immigrants whose arrival in Plymouth, and America, has shaped our nation.