Downtown Do’s and Don’ts for the Nation's 250th Anniversary
By: Bradford Fay
Discover Central Jersey
More Revolutionary War battles were fought in New Jersey than in any other state, making the 250th anniversary of the nation in 2026 an enormous heritage tourism opportunity for New Jersey’s downtown districts.
I’ve been advising dozens of “Victory towns” in nine states about how to celebrate the 250th as towns that witnessed the march to victory at Yorktown in 1781, the battle that guaranteed we would become an independent nation. Among my projects were the 250th anniversary of George Washington being named commander of the Continental Army at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and a reenactment of the first meeting between Washington and a leading French officer at the Dey Mansion in Wayne, NJ.
Elected officials from five New Jersey “Victory Towns” on the road to Yorktown recently attended a 300th birthday party for General Rochambeau in Philadelphia. They included Manville Mayor Richard Onderko, Franklin (Somerset) Mayor Phil Kramer, Rocky Hill Mayor Robert Uhrik, Lawrence Mayor Patricia Farmer, New Brunswick Councilwoman Petra Gaskins, and Montgomery Deputy Mayor Vince Barragan.
Next year, every municipality is going to want to do something special to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation. Based on my recent work, I’d like to offer the following do’s and don’ts to my downtown colleagues in New Jersey:
Do’s
- Do tell a unique story. If your town has a unique story related to our founding, lean into it. That’s easy if you are Morristown, Princeton, Trenton, Springfield, or Somerville, but many more towns have unique stories as well. Over 60 New Jersey cities and towns witnessed the march to Yorktown and are thus “Victory Towns” according to the W3R-US nonprofit group. Or maybe you can highlight the story of a particular patriot from your town, like the free Black soldier, Jacob Francis of Amwell and Flemington, who fought for our freedom.
- Do piggyback on annual events. Don’t feel like you need to create entirely new events for the 250th Often, the most effective thing is to add a Revolutionary theme to a program you already host every year, whether it’s your July 4th fireworks, a Memorial Day Parade, a concert series, or a community day. This guarantees a turnout from a wide cross-section of people, and not just history buffs.
- Do offer mostly free events. Most events should be free to attend, to make them as accessible as possible, and for all ages. But consider hosting a special ticketed event that can help raise funds to defray the costs of your free programs. For example, a dinner party where residents can dine with reenactors of our founders.
Don’ts
- Don’t worry about exact anniversaries. It’s tempting to schedule events only on the exact 250th anniversary of a particular skirmish or march. But spreading events out over the next 8 years – the length of the Revolution – will cause you to miss peak public interest that is coming next year, and especially next summer. Hopefully, your compelling 2026 programs will generate an appetite for the future, too.
- Don’t leave history to the historians. While you should tap the knowledge and ideas of local historians, the key to your success will be designing and executing compelling and fun programs and events – exactly what downtown managers excel at. As an example, look at the entertaining Instagram feed of the American Friends of Lafayette who just completed a 13-month bicentennial, mingling fun with facts.
- Don’t Let this moment pass. George Washington spent more time in New Jersey than any other state. This is our moment, New Jersey. Let’s celebrate the history of our great downtowns and reintroduce ourselves to residents and visitors alike!
ABOUT BRAD FAY
Brad Fay is a communications and nonprofit consultant specializing in heritage tourism and agritourism. He created DiscoverCentralNJ.com and has helped produce history programs in Bergen, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Passaic counties.
