J ACKSON, Miss. – In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette presented a walking cane to then-Governor Walter Leake. If you head over to the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, you can see it for yourself.

It has been two years since a planning committee formed to prepare Fayetteville for the Bicentennial Celebration of Lafayette’s Farewell tour. Now, the big days are right around the corner. Hank ...