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Tag Archives: celebrations
Celebrate the Semiquincentennial @ Your Library
July 2026 marks the country’s 250th birthday, and communities all over the country are planning celebrations throughout the year. Is your library looking for ideas to get in on the festivities? We’ve found some resources to help you out. A few highlights:
- As it did for the Bicentennial in 1976, Nebraska has created a special commission for the Semiquincentennial. Nebraska’s Semiquincentennial Commission will work with the national Semiquincentennial Commission to coordinate commemorative events and celebrations throughout the year.
- PBS has posted their “America250 Reading List: Stories That Shaped a Nation.” We have several of these titles in our Book Club Kit collection, plus many more books on past presidents, plus history and historical fiction, so you can host your own Semiquincentennial Book Club.
- Challenge your young patrons to be creative with the “My Nebraska, Our America” Public Art Design Challenge, coordinated by the Nebraska Art Council, Nebraska Department of Education, and the Semiquincentennial Commission. Submissions are due by April 1, 2026 and a selection of artwork will be included in a touring exhibition that starts at the state capitol building this July.
- Host a group reading of the Declaration of Independence. On July 8, 2026, people all across the country will be “Sharing the Spirit of America” by reading this founding document aloud at the same time. You can add your location to the map!
- Get your steps in. The Nebraska Department of Games and Parks is holding a 250 Mile Challenge to encourage outdoor recreation. The challenge runs (no pun intended) from January 1 – December 31, 2026, so you’ve got plenty of time to lace up those sneakers or hiking boots and hit the trails.
- The American Association for State and Local History has a free program handbook with “more than 30 low-cost, sustainable program ideas to help organizations planning to commemorate the United States’ Semiquincentennial anniversary.”
Check out our American250 resource page for even more ideas and events. If your library has something fun planned, we’d love to hear about it!
