You're Invited: KBTC to Host Public Screening of new "The American Revolution" series | | |
You are invited to a sneak peak of Ken Burns' The American Revolution, a new documentary that brings history to life, on Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the KBTC studios in Tacoma.
Following the special 45-minute screening of highlights from the first episode of the documentary, there will be a discussion and Q&A moderated by 2022 Tacoma Peace Laureate Kwabi Amoah-Forson. Complimentary refreshments and hors d'oeuvres, hands-on American history activities, and the opportunity to have a photo at a Revolutionary-era photo booth will also be available.
The event is FREE but registration is required. Ample free parking is available on site.
The American Revolution is a six-part, 12-hour documentary series co-directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. It will premiere nationally in November.
The series examines how America's founding turned the world upside down. It takes an expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States by following dozens of figures from a variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America.
NOTE FOR PARTNERS IN WESTERN WASHINGTON: If your organization would like to partner with KBTC to hold a free screening of The American Revolution in your community, please complete this form.
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ArtsWA announces two grants to support America's 250th | | |
In recognition of the 250th, ArtsWA is proud to launch two new project support grant programs. These grants are part of a nationwide initiative and align with Washington State’s commemorative themes: We the People, Power of Place, and Sharing History.
ArtsWA’s new grants focus on the latter two themes—supporting projects that foster community engagement and highlight the diverse histories that shape our state.
America 250 – Latine and Hispanic History in Washington State
Theme: Sharing History
This grant supports projects that highlight the experiences, contributions, and resilience of Latine and Hispanic communities in Washington State during the past 250 years. Funded projects should deepen public understanding and celebrate narratives such as migration, labor, organizing, cultural traditions, and contemporary voices.
- Funding: $1,000–$2,000 (reimbursement-based)
- Estimated Awards: 6–8 grants
- Application Period: October 1 – November 17, 2025
- Project Timeline: July 1, 2025 – August 30, 2026
- Notification: Early December 2025
America 250 – Free Outdoor Music Performances
Theme: Power of Place
This grant supports free outdoor performances by Washington-based musicians as part of community celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. Music has the power to bring people together, and this funding aims to support events that do just that—especially in rural areas.
- Funding: $1,000–$2,000 (reimbursement-based)
- Estimated Awards: 6–8 grants
- Application Period: October 1 – November 17, 2025
- Project Timeline: July 1, 2025 – August 30, 2026
- Notification: Early December 2025
- Priority: Projects in rural communities outside of King and Pierce counties
Additional info and applications will be available on the ArtsWA website soon.
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Partner Materials Reminder
About two weeks after you sign up as an America250 WA partner, you will receive a packet in the mail with information about how to access the digital logo and marketing files.
Please contact us at info@america250WA.org if you have not received this packet.
Also included in the packet is a large static-cling decal indicating your organization is an official partner, which we hope you will display at your physical location.
All partners are also encouraged to sign the logo use agreement and share out our first promotional video (see below).
Please let us know what you are planning on doing in 2026 ... drop us an email and share some of your ideas or plans. We'd love to know what you are doing in your community!
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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.
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Special Community Video in Arlington
The Stillaguamish Valley Museum (Snohomish County) is working with a local video company to create a special video in conjunction with America's 250th. Called Trials and Triumphs, the film will be a journey through time in the scenic Stillaguamish Valley near Arlington beginning in 1776 to modern times.
Historic Bus Tours in May 2026
The Black Muse in Tacoma (Pierce County) is organizing history bus tours next year in several cities to highlight places where Black, Brown, immigrant and underrepresented groups have had lasting impact. Tours are tentatively planned for Bremerton, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and Yakima. Community members will design and install heritage markers in parks, museums, churches and community spaces. Collaborating on these tours is the NAACP, Tacoma Evergreen, Washington State Black Legacy Institute, Living Arts Cultural Heritage, and others.
Special Programming in Tumwater
The Olympia Tumwater Foundation in Tumwater (Thurston County) recently hosted an America's 250th planning session with other local historical organizations. One of their many ideas is to display the Moments that Made Us panels at the museum and have different organizations participate by hosting various Revolutionary War-themed interactive stations around the museum.
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Upcoming Partner Events
A statewide calendar of events is coming soon, but in the meantime, check out the following events:
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Oct 4-5: OysterFest Booth
The Mason County America250 Planning Group (Mason County) will have a booth at OysterFest in Shelton where members will be in Revolutionary Era clothing and honoring the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Postal Service. They will have oyster shells available for people to decorate with markers and patriotic stickers.
Oct 7: Costumed Historical Interpreter Presentation
The Narcissa Whitman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (Yakima County), along with various other local organizations, is hosting a FREE public event called "How Did We Finance the Revolutionary War Without a Government" at 6 p.m. at the Harman Center in Yakima. Learn more here.
Oct 9: KBTC Sneak Peak of "The American Revolution"
KBTC is hosting a FREE public screening of highlights from "The American Revolution" documentary series Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the KBTC studios in Tacoma (Pierce County). To attend, register here.
Oct. 11: Washington State Council for the Social Studies Conference
"Many Threads, One Flag: 250 Years of Diverse American Voices" is the theme for WSCSS' 2025 conference in Bellevue (King County) which "invites us to consider the many stories that make up the history of Washington and the United States as we begin the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence."
Oct. 16: "We the People" Lecture Series
The second FREE lecture in this America's 250th series, presented by the Washington State Historical Society, will be "Buhay, The Filipino American Life" at 3 p.m. at the state history museum in Tacoma (Pierce County).
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National Constitution Center Toolkit
In conjunction with Constitution Day 2025 (Sept. 17), the National Constitution Center launched its America at 250 Civic Toolkit which includes:
- An interactive Declaration of Independence with the full text, an audio version, and digitized versions of the original document
- Essays from leading scholars and historians
- Classroom- and family-friendly resources to explore themes of the 250th
- 89 written biographies and professionally produced animated videos of key members of the founding generation who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
The National Constitution Center is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as America's leading platform for constitutional education and debate.
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C-SPAN Classroom
C-SPAN has developed some great America250 resources especially for students as part of its C-SPAN Classroom program including special coverage through 2026, video clips, and lesson plans.
Additionally, C-SPAN's annual amateur film competition for middle and high school students, the C-SPAN Student Documentary Competition, will use America's 250th as its theme this year. Prizes totaling $100,000 are available for students in grades 6-12 to develop five-to-six-minutes-long films based on the theme: "America's 250th Anniversary, exploring the American story through the Declaration of Independence." Complete details of the competition can be found here and the deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. (PT) on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
Currently, C-SPAN is the only national network committed to airing 48 hours of America250 programming each week through December 2026. It is a non-profit created in 1979 to provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the workings of the U.S. Congress without editing, commentary, or analysis.
C-SPAN has partnered with YouTube and all of its three channels (C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, and C-SPAN3) will stream on YouTube TV and there will be a larger C-SPAN presence on the YouTube platform.
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Day of Service: Sunday, 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: Saturday, 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: Saturday, 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: Thursday 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.
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Coming Up: 250 State Committee Meeting
Oct. 9, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. (PT) | Online
State committee meetings are quarterly and open to the public.
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Previous Meetings
View on TVW
Watch recordings of previous meetings courtesy of TVW.
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Please share this newsletter with any organization that might be interested in becoming an America's 250th WA partner. | | | | |
