Iowa Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer visited Mount Pleasant on Wednesday, speaking to the Noon Rotary Club about the state’s plans to celebrate America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
Cournoyer, who chairs Iowa’s America 250 Task Force, said the statewide effort is designed to highlight Iowa’s contributions to the nation while encouraging communities to celebrate their own local history.
She said events are planned in all 99 counties and encouraged organizations to submit activities through the state’s America 250 website, where residents can also find a calendar of events happening across Iowa.
Among the larger celebrations planned is a special America 250 theme at the Iowa State Fair, including a veterans parade. Cournoyer also highlighted the America’s Harvest Festival, scheduled for October 24th at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The event will showcase Iowa’s agricultural heritage, innovations in manufacturing and biotechnology, and the people who helped shape the state over the past 250 years.
She also discussed a national time capsule project led by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. The bipartisan effort includes letters and legislative documents from current members of Congress that will be preserved for future generations and opened in the year 2276.
Iowa is also contributing items to a national time capsule in Philadelphia. Among them is a commemorative coin carried by Iowa astronaut Peggy Whitson, a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant and the first female commander of the International Space Station. The state is also contributing a coin honoring President Herbert Hoover, the Iowa native known for his humanitarian efforts following World War I.
Cournoyer encouraged Iowans to participate in America 250 celebrations in ways both large and small, whether attending local events, displaying a flag, organizing a neighborhood gathering, or volunteering in their communities.
Cournoyer encouraged local organizations to participate in the celebration and noted that events can be submitted through the America 250 Iowa website at america250.iowa.gov. Submitted events may be featured as part of the statewide calendar of activities marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.