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How will NJ mark America's 250th in 2026?

By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... With the nation's sesquicentennial fast approaching, Governor Phil Murphy shard what New Jersey has been working on and will have in place to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution at an appearance Friday [11/08/2024] morning at Monmouth Battlefield State Park.
..... Though the anniversary isn't until 2026, the administration has been organizing basically since it took office because, as Murphy noted, more battles were fought in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War than in any other American state.
..... The governor said the days of revolutionary history being synonymous with Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are over, as New Jersey is working to commit resources, passion and the substance of the story because "in just about every-corner of our state you will find traces of the American revolution."
..... "Here we've got a great story to tell, the most consequential story I believe, of any cameraman state, he said. :Now we're going to package it and promote it."
..... Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, in both that role and her capacity as secretary of state has been instrumental in the planning and coordination so far, Murphy said.
..... Way said revolutionary history is not just American history but New Jersey history as well.
..... "We are highlighting the diversity of the stories we;ll tell, the idea that it isn't just about battlefields and working in lives of all of those living and working in the middle of this war," she said.

What does NJ have planned for America's 250th?

..... Among the programming plans the state's tourism office has put together are:
* Tavern Talks, which will include events at microbreweries throughout the state to cerate immersive experiences to learn about issues form the past and what communities still face.
* Revolutionary Lives: Living the American Experiment Then and Now Traveling Exhibition will feature the stories of diverse people during the American Revolution in New Jersey at libraries, senior centers and city halls.
* The RevolutionNJ Race Series, which started in August [2024] and will include 5ks at key Revolutionary War sites.
* History Happened Here is an educational program for middle and high school students to connect to the American ideals of freedom, justice, equality, self-determination and the pursuit of happiness.
* Foundations of Democracy is a resource for teachers - with a comprehensive annotated list of elementary civics materials, including activities that cultivate active citizenship and poster a democratic classroom.
* Art Installations celebrating the Revolution and inspirited by it are planned in partnership with the New Jersey Arts Council.
..... The governor said that the programming's final cost, including rehabilitating historic sites, will be :about 490 million" with a large chunk of that coming form federal grants. He said that process has already started.
..... The state has already set aside $25 million in federal pandemic relief funding to improve the 10 Revolutionary War sites in the state:
* Monmouth Battlefield State Park
* Washington Crossing State Park
* Trenton's Old Barracks
* Battle Monument in Trenton
* Princeton Battle filed State Park
* Proprietary House in Perth Amboy
* The Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield
* Wallace House in Sommerville
* Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth
* Rochingham in Kingston
..... There's also been state budge money earmarked for sites such as $1.3 million for Princeton Battlefield State Park.
..... Monmouth Battlefield State Park, which played host to Friday's [11/01/2024] event, has made headlines in recent years because historic preservations content its boundaries do not include important sites connected to the Battle of Monmouth. Some believe a site on nearby Old York Road that is slated for development should be preserve because historical records from British officer John Andre's journal indicate British troops camped there in June 1778 ahead of the Battle of Monmouth.
..... The Monmouth County Board of commissioners entered negotiations with Active Acquisitions LLC, the current owner, for a potential acquisition. the state's 2025 budget set aside $100,000 for services associated with a land acquisition project at Monmouth Battlefield State Park.

What about the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

..... The state's Revolutionary history is not the only notable attraction for the Garden State in the summer of 2026. The FIFA world Cup tournament will include eight matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and overlap with July 4, when a semifinal game will be played in nearby Philadelphia.
..... Murphy said the state would be cross-promote the host committee to hold a big fan fest for the July 4 [2026] game.
..... He also explained that Sail250, a gathering of ships, will sail the Hudson River area from the Verrazano Bridge up to the George Washington Bridge, so guests at Jersey City's Liberty State Park, which is being considered for one of the bigger World Cup fan fest events, while have a "bird's-eye view of an extraordinary tableau of these ships with Manhattan and Brooklyn behind it."

..... Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com.

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