Pittsburgh's commemoration of its 250th birthday will be more than a celebration of the region's past.

"It's also given us a deadline to get things done for the future," said James Rohr, one of the event's chief organizers.

Those 2008 deadline projects include the reopening of Point State Park, the completion of the final nine miles the Great Allegheny Passage biking-hiking trail and the publication of a cross-state Forbes Trail driving guide.

Mr. Rohr is chairman of both PNC Financial Services Group and Allegheny Conference on Community Development, which has organized the Pittsburgh 250th Anniversary Commission.

All three projects, along with many other activities and events, will be ready for next year, he said.

His progress report on birthday plans was the centerpiece of the Allegheny Conference's annual meeting at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland.

Although the main events for the city's birthday will be held next year, some preliminary festivities are getting under way. Banners will appear throughout Downtown today in conjunction with the annual Light Up Night celebration. The banners will feature images highlighting the region's history, technology and culture, Michele Fabrizi said. Ms. Fabrizi, the president and CEO of advertising firm Marc USA, heads up the regional marketing effort for the Allegheny Conference.

A commemoration plan that began with "three people and dog" has expanded to include 150 organizers, Mr. Rohr said.

The session opened with a bagpiper leading in a troupe of CLO actors who performed a 10-minute skit about the naming of Pittsburgh in 1758. When George Washington suggests calling the new community Cleveland, his proposal causes British Gen. John Forbes to choke on his Scotch.

While many of the city's signature projects and events involve places as far away as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the heart of the celebration will center around Pittsburgh's historic Point and nearby counties.

All activities will fall under the theme, "Pittsburgh 250: Imagine What You Can Do Here," Ms. Fabrizi said.

The largest single undertaking is the $35 million renovation of the 36-acre Point State Park.

Aided by Indian allies, the French and the British had been battling for control of the Point since 1754. The French decision to burn and abandon Fort Duquesne on Nov. 24, 1758, was one of the turning points of the French and Indian War. It was at the Point that Gen. Forbes wrote a letter naming the new settlement at the Forks of the Ohio for William Pitt, Britain's secretary of state.

The other two projects have regional scope.

The first is the Pittsburgh-McKeesport portion of the Great Allegheny Passage, expected to be completed next fall. The trail will link Downtown to the C&O Canal National Historic Park in Cumberland, Md., providing an off-road connection between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

An inaugural bike ride, starting from Washington's home at Mount Vernon, Va., will end at Point State Park on Oct. 4.

The modern route of the Forbes Trail -- the road created by Gen. Forbes when he marched west from Philadelphia -- will be the subject of a 200-page travel guide to be published in May.

The route, which often parallels Route 30, is being billed as a "Trail of Independence." It will pass by historic sites associated with the American Revolution near Philadelphia, the Civil War near Gettysburg and the French and Indian War throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

Communities along the Forbes Road like Bedford and Ligonier will be stops on the "Tour of Pennsylvania" bicycle race across the state. The six-day event is scheduled to begin June 24 in Philadelphia and will end June 29 in Pittsburgh.

The grass-roots initiatives include $1 million worth of "Pride and Progress" neighborhood projects. The nonprofit Sprout Fund, which is overseeing the program, has received 540 proposals. Winning projects will be announced next month.

The other two grass-roots elements are "Reunions & Homecomings, an effort to bring additional family gatherings and business meetings to the region, and "250 & Fit," an effort with the YMCA of Pittsburgh to sign up 250,000 people in a health and wellness program.

The main Web site for the anniversary celebration is imaginepittsburgh.com.