The GSVCC Blog

History tells us that the first commemorative ribbon cutting ceremony in America likely took place in Union Parish, Louisiana to celebrate the opening of a railroad line in northern Louisiana in 1898. Using small scissors and thin ribbon, the ceremony borrowed from the symbolic traditions of French and Italian weddings, where grooms would cut a ribbon across the road on the way to the church ceremony (France), or the father of the bride would cut the ribbon across the threshold of the newly blessed marital home (Italy). Drawing on the wedding tradition, the ribbon cutting marked a moment in time that was filled with anticipation, happiness, and the promise of something exciting. It marked 'new access", and the elimination of barriers, and in the business context, the meaning hasn't changed - a ribbon cutting was a chance to celebrate development with a community. Of course, from 1898 to the mid 1950's, this wasn't exactly the easiest thing to capture on camera, and the moment was more or less about the celebration of a community who attended in support of one another - building off the pomp and circumstance of the christening of a ship, or the driving of the "golden spike" at the completion of the railroad. Read more