MARSHALL — Lyon County residents can look to the sky this weekend to celebrate the county’s 150th anniversary, the Lyon County Historical Society said.

An 80-foot banner commemorating the sesquicentennial will be flown around the whole county on Saturday morning by pilot David McCandless of Council Bluffs, Iowa. McCandless will be towing the banner behind his Cessna 182 plane, said Lyon County Historical Society Executive Director Jennifer Andries.

McCandless will arrive at the Marshall airport on Saturday morning around 10:30 a.m. to pick up the banner, and should be in the air with it around 11 a.m., said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg. The flight will take the 150th anniversary banner around Marshall, and over all the cities in Lyon County, as well as Camden State Park, Garvin Park and Twin Lakes Park. The flight will take around three hours, Stomberg said.

Planners for Lyon County’s 150th anniversary celebrations wanted the flight to be more than just fun to watch. Andries said the banner flown behind McCandless’s plane will be part of future sesquicentennial events. Lyon County and the Lyon County Historical Society will work with schools in Lyon County to have students and faculty sign the banner over the course of the school year. The banner and signatures will then be displayed at the 2021 Lyon County Fair.

After the fair, the banner will be preserved at the Lyon County Museum in Marshall, Andries said.

COVID-19 concerns have changed a lot of the sesquicentennial plans this year, Andries said. Many of the events organizers originally planned were centered around the county fair, which was postponed this year. Now, organizers plan to continue celebrations at community celebrations at the 2021 county fair, and at community celebrations next year.

The Historical Society has 150th anniversary memorabilia on sale at the museum in Marshall, including the society’s pictorial history book, “Lyon County Images,” and 150th anniversary T-shirts. T-shirts and books can also be purchased online at www.lyoncomuseum.org.