Issue 5, April 2025

Announcing Washington State's Key Commemorative Dates for 2026

Day of Service: June 14, 2026

Communities will organize local service projects such as helping digitize historical photographs at your history museum or participating in community cleanup events.

Independence Day: July 4, 2026

Incorporate our official themes of America's 250th anniversary—We the People, Power of Place, and Sharing History—into your existing July 4th activities.

Washington Museum Day: August 8, 2026

In collaboration with the Washington Museum Association, museums across the state will offer free or discounted admission and promote the “Out of Many, One” project.

Day of Civic Engagement: September 17, 2026

Communities are invited to plan activities to inspire civic participation such as hosting voter registration, meet-and-greets with civic leaders, or a civics-themed trivia night.

More information, resources, and information coming soon!

Be Part of the Largest National Service Effort in American History Next Year

Washingtonians are invited to participate in local community volunteer efforts as part of the Washington State's Day of Service on June 14, 2026.

Communities around the state can participate by identifying a project that is meaningful to the community and encouraging everyone to participate.

Projects can be big or small. They can be specific to your community or part of a larger national volunteering effort. They can be a group or individual effort. They could be on June 14 or a different day if you already have a local day of service. The most important point is to volunteer in some capacity in 2026.

Washington's Day of Service is part of a national initiative called America Gives which is focused on reinvigorating a national year-round culture of service in the United States. We encourage local communities and commemorative planning committees to start thinking now about projects they could host for the Day of Service next year.

Suggestions, tips, and additional information will be available for partners on the website soon.

Host an event about Ken Burns' new documentary, The American Revolution

The American Revolution is a six-part, 12-hour documentary series from filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt that will premiere on PBS on Nov. 16, 2025, at 8 p.m. Eastern. It will broadcast for six consecutive nights running through Nov. 21, and the full series will also be available for streaming on Nov. 16.

The film examines how the founding of the United States moving chronologically through the decades, spanning from 1754 to 1790, and details how 13 British colonies on the Atlantic coast rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent.

PBS is seeking to help foster connections between stations and local organizations so that together they can build lasting connections. They are hoping for the film to be a tool for both community engagement and education. Use the buttons below to sign up and request more information about how you can get involved!

Community Engagement

PBS member stations, museums, libraries, and partner organizations will host events and activities in their communities using the documentary as a resource. PBS will be be offering a suite of toolkits targeted for various groups, including general audiences, youth, military, arts, and more.

Education

PBS Learning Media will launch a collection of classroom-ready resources for grades 3 through 12 in their "Ken Burns in the Classroom" hub this fall. Additionally, PBS and its stations will be hosting in-person and virtual teacher learning events around the subject matter.

PRESENTATIONS

STATEWIDE

Ideas from our Partners

Need some inspiration about what you can do in your community for America's 250th? Check out some of our partner ideas.

America250 at National Civics Bee in Vancouver

The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (Clark County) is including America250 information in its Civics Bee on April 26 with a presentation that highlights a series of fun facts related to American history including milestones such as the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They will also spotlight the city's history during the past 250 years. For more information, click here.

Early American Heritage Festival in Rainier

The Spirit of 76 Living History Association (Thurston County) is hosting "The Revolution Begins in Rainier", an early American heritage festival Aug. 15-17 in Rainier (Thurston County). The event is free and will include historical demonstrations, lectures. military skirmishes, music and colonial trades. For more information, click here.

Partner Update

NATIONAL

Mount Vernon and the George Washington Teacher Institute (GWTI) will host a series of regional programs for teachers across the United States in 2025 and 2026.

Programs will use primary source material, classroom resources, and current best practices in Social Studies education to explore the biography of George Washington, life at Mount Vernon, and the 18th-century world.

Each workshop will last between a half day and full day and are FREE for educators teaching grades K-12.

Detailed information about program locations, dates and times will be announced later. Educators are encouraged to sign up for GWTI email alerts to be notified when programs are coming to our region of the country.

A three-part series of virtual workshops about the Declaration of Independence will be available in May.

Hosted by Dr. Emily Sneff, a historian, consulting curator and expert on the history of the Declaration, the workshops are designed to help people feel equipped to talk about the Declaration and plan programs that make sense for their goals and audiences.

Registration is required and costs $15 per workshop or $30 for the entire series.

Workshop 1: What Everyone Should Know About the Declaration

May 5 at 7pm ET (4pm PT).

Workshop 2: Reading the Declaration

May 12 at 7 pm ET (4pm PT)

Workshop 3: A History of the Fourth of July

May 19 at 7pm ET (4pm PT)

STATE COMMITTEE

State Committee Meetings

Please share this newsletter with any organization that might be interested in becoming an America 250 WA partner!