Gainesville plans July 3 Birthday Bash for nation's 250th; DAR runs anniversary essay contests

GAINESVILLE, Texas — The United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, the date set by the America250 organization, and Gainesville plans a local celebration the day before. The city says its Great American Birthday Bash, scheduled for July 3 at Gainesville Municipal Airport, will serve as its America 250 event.

The same anniversary has reached students through the Daughters of the American Revolution. The national organization says its American History Essay Contest is sent to schools by participating local chapters and is open to students in grades five through eight. According to DAR, eligibility extends across public, private and parochial schools and includes children who study at home.

DAR says it has also created a separate competition, Patriots of the American Revolution, built around the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.

Gainesville says the Great American Birthday Bash will include music, food, shopping, family activities and a fireworks display. The city has set the event for July 3, placing its gathering one day ahead of the date America250 gives for the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

St. Mary Catholic School in Gainesville, part of the Diocese of Fort Worth, serves PreK3 through eighth grade and keeps class pages for its sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade sections, according to the school. St. Mary says the Benedictine Sisters established the campus in 1891, a local history that runs more than a century deeper than the milestone the country will observe in 2026.

Gainesville also holds a particular place in the recognition of military service. The Medal of Honor Host City Program says the city became, in 2001, the only one in the United States to host Medal of Honor recipients each year. The program describes that role as a way to honor the recipients' heroism and to promote patriotism.