Happy New Year, New Orleans. As 2017 begins, I'm proud about the past, excited about the future - of our city, and our company.

When I took the helm of The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com four months ago, I promised new initiatives that sharpen our journalism and deepen our community engagement.

That process begins in earnest today, as we embark on a two-year ride through the heart and soul of New Orleans.

Our voyage of self-discovery doubles as a tricentennial history lesson. It's called 300 for 300, a celebration of the people and moments that inspire and connect us.

On Jan. 1, 2017, The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com will embark on a two-year tricentennial celebration of 300 events that shaped New Orleans, and 300 people who have made it a better place.NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 

This year, we will focus on the moments: 300 events that have shaped New Orleans. That's six events per week for 50 consecutive weeks, starting today. (Read the first two - Bienville's landing and the first Sugar Bowl - at NOLA.com/300.)

Starting January 1, 2018, we'll celebrate the 300 people who have made New Orleans a better place. And then we'll make them the guests of honor at a spectacular year-end citywide event.

Our tour guides are you, our loyal readers. Because let's face it, nobody knows New Orleans better, or cares about it more, than those of us who call it home.

Since announcing the project in November, The Times-Picayune reporters and editors have been meeting with local experts in local history and culture to talk about the icons and milestones of the last three centuries. We've also been poring over dozens of reader nominations. Some have hit on familiar historical themes. Others have been fascinatingly offbeat or downright charming.

Judie Heckel urged us to recognize "the great people of the Bonfouca settlement on Bayou Liberty. These people produced most of the bricks that were used in the building of New Orleans."

Craig Collins nominated his father, Amos "Buddy" Collins, for introducing T-ball to the West Bank in the late '60s. "My dad was a tireless advocate for children's sports," Craig wrote.

Mike Jones nominated Seymore D'Fair - "the first World's Fair mascot in the history of World Expositions!"

Our nomination list has more than 500 names and events combined, and we're just getting started. Heck, I may nominate my dad ... just because he is my dad.

The Times-Picayune entertainment reporter Chelsea Brasted, center, with local music experts who participated in a recent music history brainstorm session for the 300 for 300 tricentennial project: from left, David Kunian, Michael White, Melissa A Weber (DJ Soul Sister) and Chris Waddington.Brandon Xuereb, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 

The Times-Picayune editorial board will make the difficult final decisions. We're sure you'll agree with some of our selections and disagree with others - that's the whole point. To add your voice, email 300for300@nola.com or make your nomination using our online form.

We're proud of the fact that The Times-Picayune has been a part of the New Orleans story for 180 of the city's first 300 years, and that NOLA.com is the largest online platform in the world for people who love New Orleans. In the coming weeks and months, you will begin seeing some of the ways we are positioning ourselves - the oldest media company with the largest print and online audience in Louisiana - to ensure we are still producing quality local journalism when the city turns 400.

• We will grow our journalism efforts by expanding our environmental reporting team to dedicate additional resources to the story of Louisiana's disappearing coast.

• We will add a local conservative voice to our opinions pages and our editorial board.

• We will introduce our new New Orleans Life team, a group of reporters focused on telling you what you need to know to live, work and grow up in the New Orleans area.

• We will announce new partnerships that grow NOLA.com as a platform for a wide array of content, in addition to the journalism of The Times-Picayune.

• We will open the doors to the NOLA Lab, which will develop new media brands in sports, food, Mardi Gras and more.

• We will launch a new video production unit, NOLA Studios, that produces entertaining, informative and innovative video content to supplement the Emmy Award-winning video journalism that originates on our news team.

• We will engage the community more directly than ever before at events big and small, such as the Todd Price Taste Club and other opportunities to connect with our reporters and each other.

• We will provide new tools for our business clients to access to the vast audience and resources of Advance Publications.

• We will be an active citizen, creating an advisory board that keeps our editorial board focused on key issues, with an eye on the tension between progress and preservation.

• We will add a regular column from Mark Lorando, editor of The Times-Picayune and vice-president of content for NOLA.com, that takes readers into the newsroom for a closer look at our efforts to strengthen local journalism in New Orleans.

One thing we won't change: our commitment to telling the truth. The Daily Picayune of 1837 sought to be the most trusted source of news and information in New Orleans. That remains our core mission today.

This image, which appeared in the Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017 editions of The Times-Picayune, symbolizes 'unbreakable bond between our past and our future - between preservation and progress,' says Tim Williamson, president of The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com.Staff graphic 

But The Times-Picayune of 2017 is much more than a newspaper. It is journalism that appears on NOLA.comweb pages, apps, social media accounts and push notifications; in photos and video; on podcasts; at events; and, yes, in a printed newspaper and its digital replica, the TP e-Edition. And we will continue seeking new and innovative ways to engage readers in order to remain relevant for decades to come.

That unbreakable bond between our past and our future - between preservation and progress - is symbolized by the mark inside the A-section of the Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017 newspaper. The story behind that icon is one everyone in our organization will be telling this year, and for years to come.

Mindful of the past. Fearless of the future. That's our story, and the story of New Orleans - for 299 years and counting.