SYLACAUGA — The burial of the time capsule has been postponed due to the monsoon-season weather Sylacauga has experienced lately, but city leaders, local students and history buffs proceeded with a scheduled dedication ceremony on Wednesday afternoon anyway.

Mayor Sam Wright told the audience assembled in the Sylacauga City Council chambers this is one of the most exciting opportunities in which he has been able to participate during his time as an elected official, and he hoped to improve on what the 1959 committee left in its capsule opened in May of this year.

“I was really excited to see what was in the capsule that was put in the ground in 1959. As I said in my letter to the mayor of 2059, I was certainly disappointed about what was in there. I don’t know what I necessarily expected to be in there, but it was nothing,” Wright said.

Wright and the committee charged with filling the 2009 capsule hope they have remedied that problem by including an abundance of information about current times in the city.

Sylacauga Historical Society president Earl Lewis said, “Our purpose with the time capsule of this year is to give those people who open the one in 2059 a true picture of what life was like in Sylacauga in 2009.”

Some of the items to be included in this time capsule include four DVDs, featuring street scenes, landmarks, industry, schools and businesses; yearbooks; a telephone directory; local church directories; issues of Sylacauga Magazine; local club descriptions and membership rosters; the book “The History of Sylacauga Marble;” information about local prominent organizations; information about city officials and employees; football programs; and other items.

Since the burial of the capsule has been delayed, suggestions of items to add were still being accepted, Lewis said. The Chamber of Commerce, City Hall or Lewis can accept donations for the capsule.

The capsule is now scheduled to be buried in early January, if the ground is able to dry by then.

Sylacauga Historical Commission member Linda Dickson introduced the students from area schools who have been asked to return in 2059 when the capsule is unearthed.

“You’re making history this afternoon,” Dickson told the students. “You have been chosen to represent your school in hopes that in 50 years you, or a representative you might name, will gather again as a group to open our time capsule.”

The students in attendance represented several local schools including:

• Second graders Jack’Quoia Baulding and Michael “Kolton” Hardiman of Indian Valley Elementary School.

• Eighth graders Bailee Curtis and Destiny Wilson of Nichols-Lawson Middle School.

• Fifth grader Drew Dickson and third grader Lindsey Gordon of Pinecrest Elementary School.

• Seniors Cass Curtis, Alex Terrell and Jourdan Cunningham of Sylacauga High School.

• Seniors Lauren McDonald and Simone Kelly of B.B. Comer Memorial High School.

• Third grader Blair Thomas and fifth grader MaKayla Kyeshia Harris of B.B. Comer Elementary School.

• Eighth grader Christen Cline and third grader Will Harris of Knollwood Christian School.

• Fourth graders Josie Williams and Shelby Cleveland, sixth grader Julie Byrd and seniors Kristina Gooden and Alan Gooden of Fayetteville School.

Wright said the information about the time capsule will be kept in a folder to be passed along to each succeeding mayor until 2059.

He also read the letter he wrote to the 2059 mayor explaining what the city is like in current times including information about population, the climate and weather, and the current poor economic conditions.

Curtis and Son Funeral Home donated a vault in which the capsule will be buried and special care will be taken to keep the capsule contents safe from elements of deterioration.