America250PA kicks off in Centre County. Parade, concert and more in the works

The United States is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, and Centre County is looking to honor the occasion in style, with planned events that include a parade and concert.

America250PA held Centre County’s kickoff event for the country’s semiquincentennial Monday at Lambert Hall in Bellefonte, where county commissioners Mark Higgins and Steve Dershem, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, and several other local officials heard about the state- and countywide events that are planned. A ceremonial flag presentation was also part of the event.

The theme of the celebration in Centre County is “Then and Now,” which aims emphasize the region’s iron industry heritage, Victorian architecture and railroad legacy.

“Although the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, the story of America has been written beyond any single city, even here in Centre County — it’s written in the books of the Forefathers Book Shop in Rebersburg, it’s forged in the iron at Curtin Village, it’s in the crowd watching the Boalsburg Memorial Day Parade,” Higgins said.

He continued, “It’s part of the court proceedings in Bellefonte, it rings out with every hymn sung during church services in Phillipsburg, and we propose new chapters to the story during gatherings at the Allen Street Gates.

“Centre County has always been, and continues to be, a place where education, civic engagement and public service are not abstract values, but lived experiences.”

As part of this year’s celebration, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau Communications Director and America250PA’s Centre County advisor Ed Stoddard told the CDT that in 2026 some of the area’s typical events will be held with a semiquincentennial-style twist.

That includes the Philipsburg Heritage Days festival, which will run from July 8-11, and the Centre County Grange Fair, which is Aug. 21-29. Both events will have a theme relating to America’s 250th anniversary, and about 50,000 patriotic, Pennsylvania-themed hang tags will be handed out to fairgoers to attach to their keys, keychains, belt loops and more.

“I would expect to see the Grange Fair tents decorated with a lot of American and Centre County pride this year,” Stoddard said. “The pride for this country is swelling here this year, and I’d hope to see a lot of red, white and blue all over, really.”

In addition to the festivals, America250PA is looking to bring a free concert by a Pennsylvania-born artist to the Bryce Jordan Center in May, although that event has yet to be set in stone, and the performer has yet to be revealed.

Another concert featuring a patriotic joint performance from the Bellefonte and State College community bands will be coming to Bellefonte on July 3, along with a parade honoring Independence Day. The next day, Fourth Fest’s parade will be held in State College, too — both events that America250PA will have a hand in putting together.

On the state side of things, three more bronze Liberty Bell replicas — similar to the one erected in Curtin Village in November as part of the “Bells Across America” initiative — will be dedicated across Pennsylvania, although it was not yet shared where the bells will be located. Four more free concerts will also be held around the commonwealth.

According to Andre Castillo, America250PA’s engagement and volunteer coordinator, America250PA will also award $250,000 in scholarships to Pennsylvania high school seniors attending state colleges and universities during the 2026 and 2027 academic year. They’re intended to “keep the next generation of leaders learning, growing and building their futures right here in Pennsylvania,” he said.

So far 1,700 applications have been sent in from students in all 67 counties, he said.

Moving forward, more information about the upcoming America250PA events in Centre County will be posted at the organization’s event page as they are finalized.