Colchester Celebrates 62326 ZIP Code Day
Some numbers are magic, and for the residents of the Colchester area, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, marked a magic day. It was 62326 ZIP Code Day, and the community went all out in celebration of this once-ina- century event.
Coordinated by a group of community enthusiasts, the idea of holding a festival in Colchester percolated when Corrie Logan, Jamie Sullivan and Christa Davis were chatting after a Lions Club meeting. Someone mentioned Bushnell’s celebration of a ZIP Code Day four years ago in June (61422). They enlisted the help of Jennifer Clark, wife of Colchester Mayor Mark Clark; Catharine Louderman, city council member; Debbie Sullivan, Colchester Library director; and Stephanie Zimmerman, photo expert and ideas creator.
Throughout the day, visitors to the post office were able to purchase special 62326 post cards and have them stamped and canceled in commemoration of the day. Colchester area’s ZIP Code is one of only 900 palindromic (read forward and backward) numbers out of more than 40,000 possible combinations available.
At the Tuesday event, the north side of the Prairie along Depot Street was blocked off for several food vendors serving ice cream, coffee and specialty drinks, sandwiches, specialty corndogs, caramel corn, and pizza. Other vendors set up stands selling crafts and baked goods. Children were treated to four bouncy houses, face painting, a 3/8-scale steam engine for barrel rides, a visit from a live Llama and the Quincy Children’s Museum.
MTC Communications, Lincoln Land Credit Union, United Community Bank and Colchester Area Business Association set up games and provided giveaways for children and adults. In the background, a band with no name provided music. A new business — The Golf Garage — was also open for a brief preview of their facilities with an expected grand opening in July.
Mayor Mark Clark presented a proclamation to event co-chairs Corrie Logan and Jamie Sullivan honoring the organizers for their initiative and creativity, as well as their perseverance in contacting sponsors and vendors, developing marketing and merchandise and working with the City of Colchester to prepare the streets for the large crowd in attendance.
Promptly at 6:23, a few hundred celebrants gathered around eight-foot-tall digits of the ZIP code, emblazoned with handprints from school children, for a panoramic photo reminiscent of oldtime community photos. The numerals were designed by Stephanie and Steve Zimmerman. Look for the picture on the 62326 ZIP Code Day Facebook page. You might even be able to pick out your own face in the crowd.
The evening ended with more music and with a Foam-Zone machine operated by Absolute-Science. com, smothering excited participants in mounds of bubbly foam (essentially highly diluted and aerated baby shampoo).
Several months-old babies were in attendance at this event. Perhaps 100 years in the future June 23, 2126, they’ll be able to say they were at the original 6-2-32-6 ZIP Code Day.
