Birthdays are a time of celebration and reflection. Venue Magazine encourages you, this year, to celebrate the 250 years of the United States of America’s history. What does the promise of America mean to you? Do you believe in its opportunities? Its strength? Do you travel and appreciate its purple mountains and amber waves of grain? How do you celebrate and embrace our freedoms? How do you participate?
1776 to 2026 according to the Quincy Valley Historical Society
It is the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, marking the beginning of our country. The Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum is planning a year of programs that invite our community to explore, consider, and celebrate the American story. Through hands‑on activities, family programs, exhibits, festivals and community conversations, we hope to create spaces where history feels alive, welcoming, and deeply connected to the lives of our visitors.
March: Escape Room 1776. Families and friends can challenge themselves an solve the mystery of the Founding Fathers. Tickets can be purchased on our website.
April/May: The traveling exhibit will be featured in all five Quincy elementary schools: Journey to Philadelphia in 1776. Classroom activities, costumed interpreters and hands-on learning await students as they celebrate with a huge birthday cake with 250 illuminated candles, and then grades 3-5 will sign their own “declaration” with quill pen and ink, have an art piece printed on Benjamin Franklin’s press, learn about flags at Betsy Ross’ sewing shop and visit a revolutionary war drummer boy and try their hand at “Yankee Doodle”. An art show will be part of the festivities as well. A day in May is planned for private and homeschooled students on the QVHSM campus.
July/August: The Journey to Philadelphia will travel to George 4th of July and the Grant County Fair.
September 25-27: A three day festival on the QVHSM campus featuring “The Spirit of ‘76” colonial reenactment group, “George Washington Speaks” portrayer Vern Frykolm, a John Hancock interpreter, Jacie Sites and her band (5-time national fiddle champion), cider pressing and hands-on fun, barn dance Saturday night and “Faith of Our Fathers” all-faiths Sunday service highlighting music and historical sermons from 250 of history.
October through Veteran’s Day: an exhibit in the Heritage Barn showcasing “America 250 in Uniform” with uniforms and accessories from every major conflict in U.S. history and personal tributes and photographs of Quincy area veterans.
Celebrating America 250 matters because it reminds us that history is not distant—it is personal. The ideals of liberty, community, and civic responsibility are not abstract concepts but living commitments that each generation must renew. By coming together in a museum setting, we create a rare space where curiosity replaces division, where children and adults learn side by side, and where our shared past becomes a bridge to a more thoughtful future.
In marking this anniversary, we honor not only the founding of our nation but also the ongoing work of building our country, one person at a time.
Find details of all these events on www.qvhsm.org or on our Facebook “Quincy Valley Historical Society”.
