Events

An America 250 Heritage Day celebration featuring historical textiles, including an embroidered Pickering Family quilt, a WWI memorial flag with soldiers' names stitched as stars, and a woven throw with family names.Third-graders from Heritage Elementary created a paper quilt for the occasion. Visitors can arrange to have their names added to an America 250 quilt destined for a Bicentennial Time Capsule, "not to be seen again until the time capsule is opened in 2076."A model train display from The Big Roadshow is also on view.Admission is free. Wheelchair access is available via the rear lift.

America turns 250 on Saturday, July 4, and the site of America's first presidential library has a day full of old-fashioned events and its annual Independence Day Concert to celebrate. Enjoy a day of nostalgic fun with a picnic or food truck fare; the concert performed by the Toledo Concert Band, featuring members of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra; deeply discounted admission of $2.50 for a site pass to tour the Hayes Home and museum; games and crafts; historical talks and more.The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for self-guided tours. Hayes Home tours begin at 9:30 a.m., will last a half hour and cover the first floor of the home only. The tours will include information about President Rutherford B. Hayes' ancestors and their ties to colonial and Revolutionary War era history.Food trucks include Jimmy G's barbecue, Frozen Paradice, Tim's Bar and Grill Food Trailer and the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor Traveling Root Beer Stand. The USS Spiegel Grove Association will dedicate a new exhibit area for the ship's bell at noon. The Independence Day Concert runs from 2 to 3:30 p.m., featuring the "1812 Overture" with cannon fire.

The City of Mansfield invites the community to participate in a daylong observance marking America's 250th Anniversary. The celebration features Fourth of July programming that honors national history while highlighting Mansfield's local heritage. All activities are complimentary and accessible to the general public.Featured activities include rededication of the historic 1881 Vasbinder Fountain, a park picnic with live music and refreshments, a time capsule opening, and Mansfield Speedway activities running throughout the day, concluding with a fireworks display at 9 PM.

A free, family-friendly gathering celebrating vintage 1840s-style baseball with Tipp City's Canal Jumpers team competing against former players and community members.The event features historic-style gameplay, vintage uniforms, and community storytelling, along with a traditional picnic with hamburgers and hotdogs, designed to honor small-town American traditions and community connection.Part of the America 250 celebration weekend.Presenting Sponsor: Miami County Visitors & Convention BureauCommunity Sponsors: Mauk Cabinets by Design; Main Street Financial Group – ThriventEvent Sponsor: Tipp City Area Chamber of Commerce

Local historian Tom Sorosiak will lead this program exploring "the history of Nazareth Hall during its time when it was in operation by the Ursuline Order of the Sacred Hearts." Attendees receive a self-guided museum tour with their ticket.Cost: Free for members; $7 for non-members. Individual membership required for member pricing; members cannot reserve tickets on behalf of non-members.

Our Village will be participating in the National reading of the Declaration of Independence for the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Readers will include Police Chief David Patrick, Fire Chief Matthew Bebout, and EMS Chief Steve Castle. We hope you will join us for this historic event!

Just as the Declaration of Independence was read to the people on July 8, 1776, now, 250 years later, Americans in all 50 states, 5 territories, the District of Columbia, and Minor Outlying Islands of the United States will read the Declaration of Independence "together." Join Gaye Gabel at the Milton-Union Public Library as she reads one of our most important documents aloud.

This living history concert recreates a July 26, 1901 program performed at President and Mrs. McKinley's Canton residence. Family activities begin at 5:30 PM with the concert starting at 6:30 PM. Kona Ice will be available for purchase, and attendees should bring blankets or lawn chairs for limited seating.Canton's Grand Army Band, directed by Emil Reinkendorff and known as "McKinley's Own," accompanied President McKinley throughout his political career. Joseph N. Rubin conducts a 23-piece concert band performing a free 75-minute show featuring classical favorites and marches, including the premiere of "Our Chief's Call," a march by Reinkendorff dedicated to President McKinley that hasn't been performed in over a century.

The program explores Cleveland women's advocacy for voting rights and their subsequent role in founding the League of Women Voters. It acknowledges the largely undocumented efforts of these suffragists who achieved their goal in 1920.Presented as part of the America250 commemorative initiative, in partnership with the Western Reserve Historical Society.Cost: FreeVisionary Sponsor: Cenovus (CVE)

The Maumee River serves as "a primary life source to communities of the present and past." Wood County Parks staff partner with Cherokee Nation member Jessie Walton-Summers to explore the river's significance to Native Americans.Participants will journey 5 miles, learning about the region's history through stories and notable landmarks. A brief canoe skills session precedes the paddle.Age requirements: minimum 11 for front seat, 6 for center. All equipment provided. Participants must sign liability waivers and follow eligibility criteria.

"Even before the founding of our country, buttons have been important not only for America's clothing but also in American industry."The event showcases thousands of buttons available for purchase, including mother-of-pearl buttons from Mississippi River mussels and uniform buttons from Waterbury, Connecticut.Visitors can explore this hobby that "blends history, art, fashion, materials science, and craftsmanship."

11 am parade, Vendors, Food trucks, Kids games, Bounce houses, DJ, Comedian, Raffle tickets, Corn hole tournament, Character artist, Cake walk.

The program examines corn production in the Midwest and beyond. In 2025, farmers in the United States harvested 17 billion bushels of corn, yet many Americans lack awareness of corn cultivation and distribution.The series commemorates the nation's 250th birthday and showcases Wood County history while fostering community engagement.

Marge Gulley presents a brief historical discussion on Cleveland's first prominent settler, Lorenzo Carter. Highlighting one of our most treasured artifacts and one of Cleveland's most storied residents.

Join us to celebrate America 250-Ohio! Bring your own picnic and blanket, we'll take care of the drinks and Velvet Ice Cream (while supplies last). Stay and enjoy live music and games on the lawn. Arboretum Admission is FREE all day for this special event!

Up-Close Rail Experience! Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, is coming to town! A public display is planned from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Tuesday, July 14 at the Norfolk Southern Fostoria Automotive Distribution Center. This is officially one of the best opportunities in the region to see this incredible machine up close.

Explore the exhibition Beyond the Picturesque on a tour with the Taft Museum of Art's Assistant Curator, Angela Fuller, and Duncanson Program Manager, Kareem A. Simpson! They will guide you through dynamic paintings created by the 2026 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, Ayana Ross, and highlight the rich artistic legacy of the Duncanson Program's enduring impact on contemporary creative practice. Includes admission to exhibitions and the collection galleries.

Each month Slime Society makes a different slime recipe. In July we will make birthday slime for the 250th birthday of our country!

Join us for the Soprema Senior Center's Patriotic "Christmas in July" Car Show & Craft Fair with over 40 cars spanning multiple decades! Start your Christmas shopping early with TWO rooms full of hand made items from local senior crafters. Enjoy great food specials in the Soprema Cafe. There will also be chances to WIN great prizes as we celebrate our country's birthday, plus lots more to experience! Open to the public of all ages. Feel free to wear your "red, white, & blue!"

This docudrama celebrates the freedom fighter spirit by retelling the story of Philip Partridge, a County Engineer who stood trial for burning down the Lincoln School in Hillsboro, Ohio. Following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling that declared school racial segregation unconstitutional, Hillsboro maintained separate educational facilities—white children attended Washington or Webster elementary schools while Black children attended the poorly-maintained Lincoln School. Despite community need for improvements, voters approved funding only for the white schools. On July 5, 1954, Partridge set fire to the Lincoln School, ultimately forcing integration in this rural community.The production combines lyrical passages of The Hillsboro Story, written by Susan Banyas, with a dramatic staging of Mr. Partridge's trial. Susan Banyas and Rainee Angles developed this one-night-only performance. Admission is complimentary.Sponsors: Paul and Mae Jane Pence Trust Patron of the Arts Fund through Southern State Foundation; America 250-Ohio Commission.

The Battle of Buffington Island, occurring July 19, 1863, represented "the largest Civil War battle in the State of Ohio." Confederate General John H. Morgan led over 1,900 cavalrymen attempting to cross into West Virginia while pursued by Union forces and Navy gunboats. The 950-mile raid began July 2, 1863, and concluded July 26, 1863, when Morgan was captured near Pennsylvania.The battle proved significant as two future U.S. Presidents—William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes—were present, and Union Major Daniel McCook sustained mortal wounds.The event celebrates the Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation's efforts and includes memorial services, historical marker dedication, historian presentations, period music by the 73rd OVI Regimental Band, and a community picnic.RSVP by July 11, 2026 to cwrtmov@gmail.com.

Celebrate America 250 at the Historic Cleveland Grays Armory Museum at "Welcome Back to Ohio and the Cleveland Grays."Join the fun. Free Tours of the Historic Cleveland Grays Armory Museum, an 1893 Romanesque style building with exhibits showcasing the military heritage of Cleveland.Live musical entertainment, including a vintage Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ and a Civil War Song VocalistOld fashioned games with prizes for the childrenSnacks and beverages available for purchaseFree Parking at Cleveland Grays Armory parking lot (space limited)Reservations requested: 216-621-5938. RSVP by July 15th, 2026.