The City of Poughkeepsie plans to spruce itself up for next year's quadricentennial celebration - and some preliminary work has already begun.

Volunteers from the South Avenue Neighborhood Association, city workers and Cub Scouts have planted bulbs in city parks, which should bloom for 2009's yearlong celebration.

The Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial will mark the 400-year anniversary of Henry Hudson's exploration of the river that now bears his name.

"These early preparations are part of the city's Quadricentennial Committee's effort to make 2009 a very special year," committee Chairwoman Nancy Cozean said in a statement.

Poughkeepsie city historian George Lukacs said it is a chance for the city to shine.

"Poughkeepsie is going to get thousands of tourists," Lukacs predicted. "The community itself will be very much awakened by the fact that there's 400 years of Poughkeepsie history."

Plaques are planned for spots in the city denoting historic sites. One such site is the waterfront near Rinaldi Boulevard, where two of the 13 naval ships the Continental Congress commissioned for the Revolutionary War were built.

Plaques have already been placed in front of the original city hall, now the County Commissioner of Jurors Building, and in front of Alex's Restaurant, the site of the first church in Poughkeepsie, the 1723 Reformed Dutch Church.

Starting in May, Lukacs said, Poughkeepsie will host weekly celebrations, which will culminate in September with the planned grand opening of the Walkway Over the Hudson, the world's longest pedestrian bridge, connecting both sides of the river on the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge.

"We are trying to re-establish Poughkeepsie to the historic im-portance that it really, truly was."

Reach Greg Marano at gmarano@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4809.