ColumbiaNY250
Semiquincentennial Celebration
America Celebrates 250 Years of Independence in 2026
Chairman Matt Murell of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors has appointed the following community members to the Semiquincentennial Organizing Committee:
Stuyvesant Supervisor Ron Knott, Kinderhook Supervisor Tim Ooms, Clermont Supervisor Ray Staats, Canaan Supervisor Brenda Adams, County Clerk Holly Tanner, Adam Miller of Columbia County Tourism, Shari Franks and Local Historians: Tom Moreland, Austerlitz; Dawn Brownson, Clermont; Doris Gearing, Canaan; Thomas Shannon, Germantown; Lauren Letellier, Hillsdale; Jeane LaPorta, Claverack; and Elizabeth Sheffer-Winig, New Lebanon.
In 2016, Congress passed H.R. 4875, creating the “United States Semiquincentennial Commission” to plan a commemoration and observance of the July 4th, 1776, Declaration of Independence. The Commission encouraged all States to form their own Semiquincentennial Commissions to help plan State-wide celebrations and commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, which New York did in July of 2021. With the bill now signed by the Governor, New York State will be making funds available to eligible local commissions to promote events and commemorations of this momentous anniversary.