RALEIGH — The General Assembly’s semiquincentennial committee coordinating the planning of America’s 250th anniversary met on Sept. 19. The meeting date coincided with both America’s first victory, the 1777 battle of Saratoga, and George Washington’s farewell address in 1796, in which he voluntarily announced he would not run again after his second term.
The committee was presented with three presentations that lasted about 15 to 20 minutes each.
Two of the public members, Troy L. Kickler and Cary F. Poole, reported on attending the Liberty Mountain presentation in Kings Mountains. Rep. Ed Goodwin (R-Chowan) spoke on the topic of the Edenton tea party.
Committee members discussed taking session notes and distilling them down for online viewing, and a portal where members and the public can enter ideas and suggestions for the semiquincentennial has been established.
The portal can be accessed on the General Assembly’s website at ncleg.gov/RequestForComments/47.
The committee is likely to meet again at least once before the end of the year.
Nationally, the second year of the “America’s Field Trip“ contest is underway.
Students in grades 3-12 across the country can submit essays or artwork on what America means to them with the chance to win a field trip to some of the nation’s historic landmarks.
The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on April 16, 2025, and winners will be notified in the weeks after. The field trips will begin in July and August of 2025, and one parent or guardian can accompany winners.
More information is available at america250.org/fieldtrip.
Additionally, the national America 250 website invites citizens to “pin their hometown“to “build a living map of our country” for the upcoming celebrations. It can be done at tinyurl.com/Place-Your-Pin.
