DAR asks Boonville council to form ad hoc committee to plan July 4, 2026 America 250 celebration

Mary Ellen McVicker, a member of the Hannah Cole chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, told the Boonville City Council on April 21 that the chapter intends to lead local events in the run-up to the United States’ 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, and asked the council to form an ad hoc committee to plan a “grand finale” celebration.

McVicker said the DAR plans a year of activities beginning in June 2025, including a June graveside rededication for a “real daughter” buried at New Lebanon Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery, marking graves of Revolutionary War veterans in Cooper County, a genealogy workshop, a Veterans Breakfast with guest speaker Don Heidenreich, a quilt show and a George and Martha Washington tea. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” McVicker said, noting the DAR does not have the volunteer or fiscal capacity to mount a large finale without broader support.

Council members asked how the ad hoc committee would be formed and whether DAR would participate directly. McVicker replied the council should form the committee and said DAR, the tourism council and the chamber could each provide a representative. The council did not vote or take formal action during the meeting on establishing the committee.

McVicker said some events would emphasize local history — she noted at least 26 Revolutionary War veterans are buried in Cooper County and that Hannah Cole, the city’s founder, is connected to that local history — while the July 4, 2026 finale could be more broadly celebratory. She also said some planned activities would be open to the public and that the chapter expects more frequent events beginning in the fall of 2025.

The request was made during the public-comment portion of the agenda; the council questioned McVicker and accepted the request for consideration but did not set a timeline or formal charge for a committee during the meeting.