The Day Denton Failed to Open the First State Bank Time Capsule
Glen Farris, downtown dweller, local musician, and statesman, woke up on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 filled with anticipation. Today was the day the First State Bank Time Capsule, located on the corner of Hickory and Locust, in front of the downtown Wells Fargo building, was to be opened. Fully expecting the site to be surrounded by workers with jack hammers, cement saws, and preparations beginning for this 100th anniversary celebration, Glen headed to the site to see nothing of the sort.
At 8:46am, he posted this picture on his Facebook timeline with the statement: “Denton, we have a problem. We had 20 years to plan for this day.”
News spread quickly through social media. Conspiracies were formed, offers of vigilante digging came forward, and a city-wide sense of unease took over as to the proper response to what was looking like an obvious failure of execution.
Glen knew the people needed a voice of calm and assurance in this time of instability. By 7pm, he launched a city-wide invitation to the event “See You At the Capsule,” inviting citizens to gather at the site of the capsule at 12:01am on September 13. In his words…
On September 12, 1992, the good people at First State Bank, Denton, TX buried a time capsule with the hopes that we would be responsible enough to open it 20 years later. Even though it’s been engraved in brass on the sidewalk of the southeast corner of our square and we had 20 years to plan for this day, somehow we have failed to follow these simple directions.
Tonight let’s raise Time Capsule awareness and raise our glasses at 12:01AM and celebrate our failure as a community to follow the SIMPLE DIRECTIONS of our ancestors.”
Shortly before midnight, a crowd began to gather. No one quite knew whether it should be a time of mourning or a time of celebration. Several iPhones of crowd members were set to alarm at 12:01am. Glen Farris could be seen ascending the Hickory hill toward the site and we all awaited his wisdom. Here’s a clip of what you missed…
As the City Council member who represents the district where this capsule resides, I spoke next, accepting partial responsibility for the failure to execute the opening of the capsule. But I then offered hope to those in attendance…
While we observe this day of failure, like so many failures that we have witnessed in our day and throughout history, we are now presented with an opportunity. We now have the opportunity to ensure that this capsule remains forever unopened so as to give every visitor to Denton, every child of our city, and future generations the chance to visit this site of the unopened capsule. To witness its dates, to know that the proper time has come and gone, and to always gather here every subsequent September 12 to celebrate and commemorate the failure of its opening. A holiday has been birthed out of the mourning of tragedy.”
There is something important to understand about cities here. Despite our best efforts at planning, development, and the creation of city amenities, the soul of a city is more often composed of a collection of beautiful little accidents like this one.
Mark your calendars for September 12, 2013. And if you see Mr. Farris around the square today, stop and thank him for his service to our city.
21 Comments
what if there’s a puppy in there with only 20 years worth of supplies and entertainment?
Mr. Roden,
Wouldn’t this be the responsibility of the buriers (re: First State Bank)? Why is this your problem, as a representative of the city of Denton?
Twenty years is rather soon. But at the same time, this is the kind of ignorance of tradition I was raised around. You’ve got to love North Texas!
(Note: 1st State Bank is now a Wells Fargo location. Maybe that has something to do with it.)
Any guesses what’s in there? I’d posit a collection of cassette tapes and CDs (featuring MC Hammer, Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn and Brave Combo), a Hypercolor T-shirt, a neon slap-bracelet, a photo of a town square dotted with antique malls and empty stores, and a roster of Democratic elected officials.
Why didn’t someone at Wells Fargo Bank ( my bank) downtown assume some direction and make plans for an event? I would also say that the mayor of Denton, if he has any appreciation at all for history, should bear some responsibility rather than just acting as a figure head to look pretty at public events.
A celebration of Denton’s nonconformist spirit and responsibility-shifting… Yet another day that may live on in infamy. Thanks, guys, for marking this non-event.
Let’s see if Mr. Farris still has a job with Wells Fargo on September 12, 2013.
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Just rent a jackhammer and open the damn thing already. Time capsules are pointless if you never open them.
Why not just open it?
I’m genuinely confused as to why you would all celebrate a failure when you could be proactive about it and just open it.
Am I the only one who doesn’t get this?
Are you kidding me? Take up some accountability, keep the flowery, exculpatory prose to a minimum, and open the time capsule, or find someone who will.
Eric,
Mr. Farris wont have a job at wells fargo in 2013 becaues he doesn’t even work there. He is a local musician. It says that very clearly above.
Actually, not to take away from Mr. Farris, but I had posted a picture on the Denton Haunts time-line on Facebook on Monday with a picture of the time capsule, and wrote about it (see link above) in 2010. I’m miffed that I didn’t get invited to the anarchy party!
To open the time capsule, all they need is a cement saw, for Heaven’s sake.
Wells Fargo doesn’t want people to remember that First State Bank ever existed. A lot of their customers in Denton opened their accounts with First State Bank and Wells Fargo only has that money now because of that purchase.
Also it was supposed to be a celebration of First State Bank being in business for a century They didn’t make it. Wells Fargo isn’t going to want to pay to have a time capsule opened celebrating the 100 year anniversary of a company that didn’t make it that long before they bought them out.
They bought my checking account and they bought my car loan. Can’t escape them.
Mr. Davidson and Mr. Lowe,
I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that Mr. Roden’s post more in jest than out of a serious celebration of failure. I’m sure that opening the time capsule would be a fun and interesting thing to do, but I feel it can be just as fun to have this as an inside joke for our generation. Imagine answering questions about it another 20 years from now. I personally find the idea fantastic.
nah fudge that, dig it out. so its a little late–doesnt mean ppl dont want to know whats in there. thinking this is more a situation where the city doesnt want to pay to repair the damn sidewalk, nahmean?
Roden yr still cool, i’m just sayin.
Can’t wait to leave!
…there is literally nothing about any of this that surprises me.
Someone should just scratch out 2012 and write 2112 or something, let someone else bear the burden of ripping up the sidewalk! However, it is sad that it won’t be opened, since very clearly some people took the time, effort, and money to make sure an elaborate time capsule to be opened on that day. Oh well, I guess we’ll never know whats inside!!
This would explain where they stashed all the Crystal Pepsi…
20 years? Big deal…….I have shoes older than that
Apparently, 1st State Bank didn’t survive the anticipated 100 years, so there will never actually be a date to observe that fact!