Area Institutions Ready Programs, Exhibits to Mark the 250th
A Milestone Celebration
It’s a big word that’s hard to pronounce: semiquincentennial.
It’s a lot easier to say ‘250th birthday,’ and that’s what the nation will be celebrating this summer. Only, in many ways, the celebration has already begun, especially in this region, which is eager to showcase the many ways in which Western Mass. played a vital role in the nation’s fight for independence.
Indeed, whether it’s stops along the Knox Trail, the so-called Noble Train of Artillery that Col. Henry Knox brought from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Dorchester Heights in Boston; or programs at the Springfield Armory, the region is already commemorating its strong role in the formation of a new nation.
And the celebrations will continue — with everything from special exhibits at area museums to lectures to an Independence Day celebration featuring fireworks viewing from the Armory grounds.
Area museums and other institutions are expecting an influx of visitors, from this region and well beyond, and they’re hoping the many 250th anniversary celebrations can bring opportunities to introduce, or reintroduce, people to all that they offer.
For this issue, BusinessWest talked with three area institutions — Springfield Museums, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Springfield Armory — about what they have planned for the semiquincentennial, the planning that went into these exhibits and programs, and what they expect visitors will take home from these experiences.
