It’s America’s 250th birthday and the Springfield area is celebrating in a big way with fireworks, concerts and other events.
What this makes this Fourth of July different?
In the months leading up to America’s bicentennial in 1976, Springfield was one of six stops in Illinois for the Freedom Train. Since the bicentennial, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, which holds two semi quincentennial exhibits, was constructed and the site of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot was designated a national monument by then-President Joe Biden through the Antiquities Act.
The site of that Freedom Train stop, Douglas Park, has been changed to Duncan Park, honoring Otis B. Duncan, a Black World War I veteran from Springfield. Springfield also has had one of the longest-running celebrations of Juneteenth, widely known as Black Independence Day.
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Where to celebrate
Fireworks
Theatre
What: Directed by Gus Gordon, “1776,” the Tony-Award-winning musical, recreates the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Where: Hoogland Center for the Arts, LRS Theatre, 420 S. Sixth St.
When: July 1-3 at 7:30 p.m.; July 4-5 at 2 p.m.
More: hcfta.org
History
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Your complete guide to America’s 250th birthday in Springfield region
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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By Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register | USA TODAY Network
