(45 Weeks)
Two short years away is America’s 250th Birthday. This is a big milestone event, or at least it seems like it should be. Although there doesn’t seem to be the kind of hype I remember leading up to the Bicentennial in 1976. Congress had created the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission as far back as 1966.
It occurred to me last year that anyone under the age of 50 has absolutely no recollection of that event. In 1972 my hometown of Franklin Lakes had celebrated its 50th anniversary of incorporation and I recall the “old timers” who reflected on life in 1922.
When the town celebrated 100 years, I couldn’t help but think I was now one of the “old timers” remembering life 50 years ago. I now realize I am to our country’s 250th Birthday, what people born in 1915 were to the Bicentennial. Yikes.
Through research I have discovered that a United States Semiquincentennial Commission was established back in 2016 and is indeed setting the groundwork for another monumental celebration. And here we are in a very similar place in our country’s history. Another big party might be just what we need!
In 1976, we were coming off the violence and division that stemmed from antiwar protests, the civil rights movement, Watergate, and both the vice president and president resigning in disgrace. It was also a Presidential election year. The United States Bicentennial united Americans around their collective patriotism and took attention away from conflict, both here and abroad.
One of my favorite memories was On the Road to ’76 a weekly feature on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Journalist, Charles Kuralt, traveled the country, sharing stories of the people and places that made up the fabric of American life. It was educational and fascinating.
Op Sail was also a big deal for those in the New York City area. I knew a lot of people who attended. We did our usual pool party, but my dad and his friend set off some fireworks (very unusual as he was typically very law abiding and safety conscious) and my mom’s friend made a cake with a flag created from strawberries and blueberries (sure wish I could find that picture).
The summer before, we took a trip to Lexington and Concord and visited the key places that played a role in the first shots of the American Revolution. We also would have visited Williamsburg, something we did every year. My parents, owners of the Williamsburg House Gift Shop in New Jersey, went there a lot to do research which I imagine was written off as business expenses. Many Bicentennial commemorative items were on sale at their gift shop.
There were commemorative items everywhere one looked! Coins, fire hydrants painted like historical figures, and a brand identity that was seen on flags, tote bags, umbrellas, and postage stamps. The Bicentennial also had some positive impact on the U.S. economy.
I am looking forward to seeing what the next two years bring and hope this event is the catalyst that brings positive change to the political and social landscape and reunites us as Americans.
You know what I’m really looking forward to, though? The Tricentennial! Yes, that’s right. I have every intention of living to 111 plus at least two months, so they can wheel me out on the Today show and Good Morning America to talk about life in 1976 (when stamps were 13¢; the 8¢ stamp became obsolete with a rate increase in 1974).
Did you really think this wasn’t going to include a fundraiser? It’s me. Of course it is! Over the course of these 60 weeks, I am hoping to raise $6000 for the children of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls (that’s just $100 a week!). To learn more about Mercy Home and my why, please visit my fundraising page. Thank you.
