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Forsyth County America 250 committee forms web subcommittee, secures $30,000 school field‑trip grant
Summary
Forsyth County’s America 250 NC Committee said a county-committee grant application to DNCR is with the county for signature to fund a countywide website and graphic identity; WS/FCS won a $30,000 grant to take all 2,700 third-graders on two field trips tied to America 250 themes.
Chair Mike Wakeford said the Forsyth County America 250 NC Committee has a county-committee grant application with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources that is now with the county for signature to fund a countywide website and a graphic identity.
The grant, Wakeford said at the committee’s Sept. 19 meeting at MUSEws, is intended to create a single point of collection for events and an online exhibit about the 250th in Forsyth County. "The grant agreement is with the county for signature," Wakeford said.
Courtney Tuck, representing Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, told the committee WS/FCS won a $30,000 community grant to provide two field trips for all 2,700 third-grade students to Bethabara and downtown Winston-Salem, including tours of City Hall, the county courthouse and the Central Library. "The pretest revealed that only 37% of students had been to the Central Library," Tuck said, noting DNCR requires measurable outcomes and outreach to state representatives as part of the grant conditions.
Committee members agreed to form a web subcommittee to guide the website build and branding. Ed McNeal, Sabrina Garrity, Courtney Tuck, Penny Edmonds and Mike Leonard volunteered for the subcommittee; Andrea Sheetz will facilitate the county procurement process for the website and graphic-identity work.
The committee also reviewed other local grant activity: Old Salem received $26,600 for teacher trainings that focused on teaching difficult history; the Daughters of the American Revolution said it will seek funds for 2026 activities including a parade banner, an essay contest and grave marking; and the Sons of the American Revolution plans to clean and mark graves and participate in parades.
Members noted DNCR has opened a new grant round through Nov. 1, 2024, and MUSEws indicated plans to apply. The group spent substantial time brainstorming countywide events for 2026: contacting municipal mayors to secure proclamations, staffing booths at local festivals such as Walkertown’s Fall Festival and Bethania’s Black Walnut Festival, and hosting centralized events at larger venues such as Triad Park or Tanglewood were discussed.
Mayor Dawn Morgan suggested using Creek Week as a model for countywide volunteer events and proposed a reenactment of George Washington’s breakfast at Dobson’s Crossroads with a ride to Salem on May 30–June 1, 2026. The Sons of the American Revolution said it will host a poster contest and an Old Salem visit in July 2026 aimed at youth engagement.
The committee heard a brief report from the American Association for State and Local History on national Youth250 initiatives designed to increase Gen Z participation in public history, and a member noted Ken Burns is working on a documentary about the American Revolution.
No formal votes or motions were recorded in the minutes. The group set the next meeting for Oct. 17, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. at the Moravian Archives and will determine the host for the Nov. 21 meeting at a future date.
