Connecticut officials have announced a series of events across the state to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence this year.
There will be activities in almost all of the state’s 169 cities and towns, and the focus will be on the contributions different groups have made to the American story, said former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, chair of the America 250 CT commission.
“We are encouraging communities to tell those stories specifically about people who have historically perhaps been unrepresented,” Merrill said at the announcement at the Old State House in Hartford on Tuesday.
There's also an emphasis on the state’s role as one of the 13 original colonies in the revolution, said Governor Ned Lamont.
“That’s the story that we are telling over the course of the next six months. And I am going to be going around, and you are going to be able to see it on social media, and on the website, all the different events that are happening that tell the story of what makes America great,” Lamont said.
Highlights include a July 4th celebration at Bushnell Park in Hartford expected to draw more than 50,000 people, and a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the State Capitol.
There’ll also be the arrival of a 160ft Dutch tall ship in Greenwich Harbor on June 28th, and a Revolutionary War Encampment featuring mock battles in Durham on Oct. 17.
For a full calendar, visit 250inCT.com
