How late is too late to say happy birthday? The United States technically celebrated its 250th birthday on July 4 — but just because the fireworks have faded, that doesn’t mean the spirit of the semiquincentennial is gone.
Though smaller-scale commemorations will continue throughout the year, the Labor Day holiday weekend offers perhaps your last, best chance to celebrate the anniversary during the summer months.
Here’s what’s on offer.
Re-enactments and Heritage Walks
Looking to time travel? Several national park sites will serve as portals to the past on Sept. 5.
In Rome, N.Y., Fort Stanwix National Monument will host “The Fort on the Frontier: The ‘Jersey Grays’ Occupy Fort Schuyler,” featuring drills, weapons demonstrations and presentations about life in 1776.
In Frederick, Md., an event called “Troops Through Time” at the Monocacy National Battlefield will bring re-enactors from a range of periods, including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and World War II. And Valley Forge National Historical Park, less than an hour by car from Philadelphia, will host Revolutionary-era artillery firing demonstrations.
On Sept. 5 and 6, “Revolutionary War Encampment & Re-enactment” will take place at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, in Connecticut, less than two hours from New York City by train or car. And farther south, in North Carolina, Bald Head Island will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Fort George. The weekend includes battle re-enactments, musket drills, sail- and tar-making demonstrations, and a block party with barbecue.
If you prefer to go at your own pace, check out one of the new history walks introduced for the anniversary, including two in Pennsylvania: Patriots’ Path in Cumberland Valley, and the Revolutionary War Trail in Bucks County. In South Carolina, the Backcountry Revolution Trail highlights stories from women, Black Americans and Indigenous Americans.
Museum Exhibits
In Philadelphia, the Museum of the American Revolution will close out the summer with a holiday weekend geared toward families — with crafts, educational talks and living-history presentations.
New York City offers several exhibitions exploring the Revolution, including “Democracy Matters” at the New York Historical (through Nov. 1) and “The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation” at the South Street Seaport Museum (through Sept. 27). For the ongoing exhibition “The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution,” the Museum of the City of New York transformed an entire floor into an in-depth experience.
In Stockbridge, Mass., the Norman Rockwell Museum explores how artists have interpreted evolving national narratives in “American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell” (through Oct. 26), and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts recently opened its reimagined 18th-century Art of the Americas galleries.
For a view from out West, a few San Antonio institutions are offering lesser-told entry points into the anniversary, including “Somos Americanos: Our American Story” at the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (through Dec. 18) and “Tejano Legacy: Another American Origin Story” at the Briscoe Western Art Museum (through Jan. 18). The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth is using the anniversary to study a key visual icon in its newly opened exhibition “The Statue of Liberty From Bartholdi to Warhol” (through Jan. 3).
Labor Day is the last chance to check out the “Voices and Votes: Exploring Democracy Across America” exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall in Washington. The landmark, which originally opened in 1881 as the first U.S. National Museum, has not been open for regular public hours since 2004.
Cultural Events and Activities
On Sept. 3, “History Happy Hour: Revisit the Revolution” welcomes history lovers (over the age of 21) to sip punch and solve clues at Schuyler Mansion in Albany, N.Y.
George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill in Alexandria, Va., offers whiskey tastings on Saturdays in September, with samples of spirits distilled using 18th-century methods. The tasting ticket includes a tour of the reconstructed and operational distillery and admission to Washington’s Mount Vernon. His former estate will host an evening talk and signing on Sept. 3 with the historian George Goodwin for his book “Propaganda Wars of the American Revolution: From the Boston Patriots to George Washington.”
This year’s D.C. JazzFest, which runs from Sept. 2 to 6, is incorporating the theme “The Future of Jazz: America’s Next 250 Years.” The lineup includes the Grammy Award-winning artists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling and Nate Smith.
On Sept. 6, the National Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual free Labor Day concert at DAR Constitution Hall (seating is first come first served). Two nights later, the orchestra will return to Constitution Hall with a musical tribute to the 250th: “Ben Rector: Symphonies Across America With Jon McLaughlin.”
And if “Hamilton” fits the bill for your 250th-themed Labor Day wishes, you have plenty of shots: Boston’s City Hall Plaza will host an outdoor movie screening; the North America tour starts its run at the Fox Theater in Atlanta; the musical is still going strong on Broadway; and the filmed version is streaming on Disney+.
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