It may only be January, but the Ohio Statehouse atrium was decked out in red, white and blue midday Wednesday.
Patriotic songs, sung by both choir and by the 96-year-old Sylvia Miller, took over the room for the official kickoff of America 250 celebrations in Ohio. Among those invited were elected officials, donors and community leaders from around the state.
The year 2026 will mark America’s semiquincentennial—one long word to say, it’s been 250 years since July 4, 1776, when the Founding Fathers of the original 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain.
“When we think about it, that’s not the year the war started,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “It’s not the year the war ended, not even the year that the Constitution was written or ratified. But it’s the year that we had people willing to sign a document that could have been their death warrant, if the revolution had gone the other way.”
From fiscal year 2024 through 2027, the Ohio legislature allocated $16.25 million. That money is managed by the state’s Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial.
“While the state has generously and appropriately funded Ohio’s 250 efforts, we did also reach out to the private sector and shared with Ohio’s corporate citizens the plans and activities that are in the works,” Commission Co-Chair Doug Preisse said. We were met with eager and generous partners.”
The events on the calendar, scheduled in all 88 counties starting this month and running through November, have been years in the making.
“We know that Ohio has a history that is connected to the American Revolution. Sometimes we don’t think about that, but we have so many thousands, of soldiers who are buried in Ohio, who came to Ohio for opportunity after the war,” DeWine said. “This is going to be a fun year, we’re going to celebrate a lot of our history.”
Among them, from February through October, Ohio Goes to the Movies events will show a series of movies either set in or filmed in Ohio, or with Ohio contributors.
Picnics and a historic train ride are also on deck. For the full calendar of America 250 in Ohio events, head here.
