The community is invited to a ceremony Thursday to dedicate a 30-year time capsule that will be buried at the new Dawson County Government Center.

The time capsule will be placed in a flower bed in front of the building and identified with a granite marker that will list the installation date as well as the year it is to be opened.

County Manager Kevin Tanner said the time capsule will capture the county in 2012 for future generations.

Davida Simpson, purchasing director, organized the time capsule project and worked with residents and county employees to obtain items for the time capsule.

Items range from history books and articles documenting the government center's construction, to photos of local landmarks, maps of the community and a collection of preserved pumpkin seeds to showcase the county's agricultural heritage.

"Who knows over the next three decades how our community is going to change, so we just want a good capture of a moment in time," Tanner said.

The time capsule was part of the original construction contract with Winter Construction, which built the government center.

"We want to allow citizens 30 years down the road to see the thought process that went into planning the building and understand what was happening when the building was first constructed," Tanner said.

The new 111,000 square feet government center, which brings all county offices under one roof, opened Jan. 3.

The celebration will begin at 2:30 p.m.