America is turning 250 years old July 4, 2026. All states have been encouraged to develop plans to celebrate the federal milestone.
South Dakota’s commission planning the state's celebration met again this week.
Updates to the commission’s ideas include walking 250 miles by 2026 and “reading 250,” which is a self-paced reading challenge set by the library.
Benjamin Jones is a State Historian and Chair of the committee. He shared a new idea to the commission on how to get children in the state involved in the celebration.
“We are in discussions about setting up an American 250 group of teachers that would kind of look at ways they can help activities in the classroom happen,” said Jones.
Jones shared with commission members a unique way the federal government is engaging with the public to celebrate America 250: through oral history. It’s called “Our American Story.” It involves asking Americans to share their stories of unsung champions of their communities and families.
“ And build up a story bank. This is really an excellent way to grab oral histories. The Library of Congress will be the ultimate depository of all those stories,” said Jones.
Commission members said the feedback they have received from the public is that the is event too far in the future for them to put real thought into. Each member, however, has experience with launching events and said the America 250 celebration is too big to not plan accordingly.
Jones said states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Massachusetts have been planning their America 250 events for the past ten years.
You can find more details on the South Dakota's plan on the state's America 250 website. The commission meets again in early October.
