Lewes 250 Anniversary kickoff to highlight upcoming celebrations Sept. 18
Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series honoring the U.S. anniversary. This article is reprinted with permission from the National Constitution Center’s website.
We in Lewes are proud to play our part in celebrating 250 years of independence for the United States. As we embark upon our observance of America’s semi-quincentennial anniversary, we do so with pride. With honesty and authenticity, we reflect upon how to tell the American story, our full story, as Americans and Delawareans.
Working with the Lewes Public Library and other groups, this celebratory journey will begin at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Lewes Public Library, during Constitution Week.
Underscoring the importance of press freedom, the event will consist of a robust question-and-answer exchange between the mayor, members of the press, and the public. Immediately following, Daughters of the American Revolution representatives in full colonial regalia will express their awe at having our first female mayor leading the way. Thereafter, they will petition the mayor, “How should the brave women and men of 1776 be remembered?”
Working with numerous local, state and national groups, an assortment of events is scheduled for the 2026 anniversary.
Already-scheduled activities include a tribute to the rich maritime and shipbuilding history of our town. On New Year’s Eve 2025, an anchor will be dropped from the historic Coast Guard Lightship Overfalls docked in the canal. The next morning, bells will be rung around the community and in houses of faith, along with town criers welcoming in 2026.
A rich variety of history lectures, book events, interviews, plays and public art exhibits will take place all winter and into spring at the library and elsewhere. The aim is to inspire and educate: Storytellers will explain how our town evolved through the voices of indigenous people, enslaved people, women, merchants, sailors, schoolteachers, ministers, military service people, postal workers, lawyers and judges. In September, Delaware Supreme Court Justice Gary Traynor will join in discussing the 1776 Delaware Declaration of Rights and Constitution.
A Liberty Pole will be set up and a Liberty Tree planted to symbolize the right to gather and to protest — all to demonstrate how freedom of expression was deployed then and throughout our history to galvanize change. There will also be dramatic recitations of the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, along with discussions for young and old alike of how their writings influenced the revolutionary spirit.
To acknowledge both our Dutch and English roots, a Tulip of Lewes will be planted during our annual Tulip Festival. And an invitation will be extended to the mayor of Lewes, England, to travel to their namesake city. A sister-city agreement will also be signed to establish welcoming and lasting relationships between both towns despite historic hostilities.
On the stirring side, a patriot on horseback will ride into town to echo Paul Revere’s actual words: “The Regulars are coming out,” meaning British soldiers were coming.
Townspeople will gather July 4, at the Sussex Tavern and elsewhere to recite the Declaration of Independence’s 1,320 words aloud.
Celebratory plans will highlight the role music played in telling our story — spiritual songs, abolitionist songs, political protest songs, along with everyday tavern songs. The plan is to punctuate key milestones in our American journey through the American songbook of iconic tunes.
With the Declaration of Independence and our own Declaration of Rights (which today contains an equality clause) as our north stars, the First Town in the First State happily assumes its rightful role in celebrating and retelling our American story.
The American experiment took root in Lewes. Faithful to our heritage, we will strive to honor our past, rectify its failings, and once again “pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
