Turning 250 years old warrants a celebration. And when it’s your country that’s being celebrated, you want to be there.
Here are some celebration events in the coming months you may want to attend.
Through July 11
Mamaroneck Artists Guild presents 250 Visions of America. This member group show celebrates the 250th anniversary of the nation through works in a variety of media. All works are for sale.
Mamaroneck Artists Guild, 1987 Palmer Ave. in Larchmont
Opening Wednesday, July 1
Rye Historical Society will present “The American Revolution on Neutral Ground Exhibit,” at the Square House Museum. The exhibit will highlight the journey from colonial Rye to the Revolution, introduce the Square House owners and their participation in the Revolutionary War, and offer a window into life in Rye after the war. The exhibit will be on display July 1 through Oct. 30.
Admission: Free
Saturday, July 1, 15, 29
Play the historical games colonial folks played: Mancala, Shut the Box, Skittles, Captain’s Mistress, and more at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in Yonkers.
Noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays at 29 Warburton Ave. in Yonkers
Admission: Free
Thursday, July 2
A program of storytelling and music at the White Plains Library will feature colonial-era African and European music and hands-on demonstrations. At “Revolutionary Sounds! Africa & European Music in the Colonies,” you’ll hear historic instruments like the mountain dulcimer, shekere, and djembe, and learn about the traditions of this historic period. The program highlights the importance of connecting cultures through music.
6:30 to 8 p.m. at White Plains Library, 100 Martine Ave. in White Plains
Admission: Free
Friday, July 3
Sail4th 250, an international maritime celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., is organizing the largest fleet of tall ships and naval vessels ever assembled in New York Harbor.
On July 3, local viewers will be able to spot tall ships from around the world from various places along Rye’s shore, including Rye Playland Park and Beach, Rye Town Park and Beach, Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, and The Marshlands Conservancy.
The ship parade is set for 1 to 3 p.m. in New York City, so look for the ships in Rye earlier in the day.
To confirm the schedule as the event approaches, visit sail4th.org.
Saturday, July 4
Rye Historical Society will present its annual reading of the Declaration of Independence at 10 a.m. on the Village Green, led by Doug Carey and the Leaders of Tomorrow. The event will include historical re-enactments, historic speeches and readings, patriotic songs, and more.
Stop at the Square House and enjoy colonial crafts and tours of the museum. This year, also celebrate Rye’s historic trees as well as the 250 Acorns to Oaks initiative led by the Rye Sustainability Foundation.
Admission: Free
Saturday, July 4
Playland will launch its 4th of July firework display at 9 p.m. The show will kick off the park’s weekly Friday night fireworks, which will continue through the remainder of its operating season.
Admission: Free (excluding the cost of rider wristbands)
Parking is $20 and should be purchased online in advance.
Visit playlandpark.org to purchase a parking pass.
Saturday, July 4
Caramoor will host a historic “Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks” Independence Day spectacular featuring the Westchester Symphonic Winds. The group will play patriotic favorites, followed by a fireworks display.
8 p.m. at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah
Admission: Starting at $55
Sunday, July 5
The Rye Free Reading room will host a reception in its meeting room for the exhibition “RR250 Rye’s Historic Trees,” a revival of Rye’s Bicentennial Tree program from 1976 in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The RR250 Historic Tree Initiative set out to record the species and ages of historic Rye trees, along with photographs that capture their distinctive features. The exhibit will be on display from July 2 through August 27.
Admission: Free
Saturday, Sept. 19
A Revolutionary Harvest Festival will feature re-enactments of Gen. George Washington atop his horse, Nelson, French General le Comte de Rochambeau, and Revolutionary War soldiers from both sides of the conflict at Phillipse Manor Hall in Yonkers.
Featuring 18th century crafts, demonstrators, live music, and 18th century country dancing, stone mill grain, and a cider press.
Noon to 5 p.m. at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, 29 Warburton Ave. in Yonkers
Admission: Free
Saturday, Sept. 26
The Jay Heritage Center will present “Feuding Founders: John Jay, Diplomat and Spymaster,” a symposium that will answer the question: “How did our earliest American diplomats accomplish their secret assignments abroad?”
The discussion will feature partners from the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Connecticut, Menokin and Stratford Hall in Virginia, and the Jay Homestead in Katonah, N.Y. Participants will have the opportunity to stand on the spot where Jay looked out at the horizon during the Stamp Act, tour the Jay Estate gardens, and dine at the place where Jay celebrated the end of the Revolutionary War. The program will close with a walk of the property that inspired James Fenimore Cooper’s Revolutionary War novel, “The Spy.”
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the historic Jay Estate, 210 Boston Post Road
Admission: Free
Sunday, Sept. 27
Rye Historical Society will host “Tales of Treason and Espionage” with Brian Carson, author of “Gideon’s Revolution,” and local resident D.J. Hennes, author of “Whispers of Liberty.”
Admission: Free. Registration required.
3 p.m. at the Rye Free Reading Room
Visit the event calendar at www.ryelibrary.org as the event approaches to save your spot.
Friday, Oct. 16
Toast to 250 with the Rye Historical Society at the Square House with a book talk by Eric Jay Dolin, author of “Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution.” Cocktail reception to follow.
Admission: Not yet determined. Registration required.
Visit ryehistory.org/upcoming-events for more details and registration information as the event approaches.
Saturday, Oct. 17
Rye Historical Society will sponsor a visit to the Tall Ship Lynx, an educational ship based on an actual 19th century privateer that will be docked at the New Rochelle Municipal Marina for a special celebration of the Sound Shore communities’ contribution to the Revolutionary War.
Admission: Not yet determined. Registration required.
Visit ryehistory.org/upcoming-events for more details and registration information as the event approaches.
