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Clallam County invited to join America250 commemoration; county officials say they will participate
Summary
A state America250 representative asked Clallam County to register as a partner for the U.S. semiquincentennial, convene local planning committees and encourage county fairs to adopt America250 themes. County commissioners and local partners said they will sign up and help organize.
Lorraine, an America250 outreach representative, asked the Clallam County Board of Commissioners on March 31 to register the county as an America250 partner and to help convene local planning committees ahead of the 2026 semiquincentennial.
"For next year, we have identified 3 key themes, for our commemoration, and those themes are we the people, the power of place, and sharing history," Lorraine said, describing the state-level effort to promote local history and to engage tribes and community organizations.
The nut graf: Lorraine told commissioners the state planning effort is asking counties to sign up free on the America250 website, to help convene a local commemorative planning committee, and to encourage county fair organizers to theme their 2026 events and provide free booth space for museums and historical societies. She also described a short-term participation option: "2 lights for tomorrow," a lights-on event on April 18 to commemorate the April 18–19, 1775 events in Massachusetts.
County commissioners and local partners signaled willingness to participate. Commissioner Johnson and others noted local groups are already taking steps: "I think here locally, David Brownell at the Northwest History Center is taking the initial step to try and get the community organized," a commissioner said, and another commissioner added, "I will also work to get our county signed up as you requested, online," referring to the county registration form.
Don (first name only), responding about county facilities and the bell tower, said putting lights on public buildings would be a low-cost step the county could handle: "We have electrical outlets up there in the bell tower... it's a very low cost effort on our part." Commissioners discussed suggesting an America250-related theme as part of the county fair planning process and asked staff to notify the fair board.
Lorraine asked that participants send a confirmation note and, if possible, a nighttime photo of any building displaying the two lights so the state archives can collect images.
The presentation closed with commissioners agreeing to follow up. One commissioner asked the county administration to "get the task force together prior to that" and to take next steps so communities in Clallam County can participate.
Looking ahead, Lorraine said partners who sign up will receive toolkits and theme guidance for several commemorative dates in 2026, including Flag Day (June 14), Independence Day (July 4) and Constitution Day (Sept. 17).
