When I was a child growing up in Concord, I always looked forward to our local Independence Day celebrations each July 4. The festivities were special and concluded on a dark night at Memorial Field sitting on a blanket with my family watching as the fireworks illuminated the field and concluded with a boom that would tickle your ears. We held sparklers and we held cookouts too.
It was a day of celebration when people did not have to go to work and this young child sat anxiously on the edge of civility just waiting for that sun to set. To this very day, I can still smell that aroma from the spent fireworks and remember how closely I sat on that blanket, never venturing far, feeling safe between my mom and dad.
I was a child growing up when there was war and turmoil and many issues in society. There was disease and unrest around the turn of each corner, but the Concord Independence Day celebration each July 4 at Memorial Field provided an escape with such grand exposure to old time patriotism. We were together, hundreds of us, with our families as Never’s Band struck up classic American tunes steeped with patriotism. Nostalgia is such a good friend at times.
As we celebrate 250 of independence, I reflect on prior years that hold such great meaning. We celebrated a jubilee in 1826, a centennial in 1876, the sesquicentennial in the year 1926 with the bicentennial in 1976. Now my friends, we gather to celebrate our semiquincentennial honoring our 250th year of Independence.
Through the years, our celebrations have been quite grand and certainly entertaining. Sometimes there are remarkable events with remarkable feats accomplished. When our ancestors gathered in celebration for the jubilee in 1826, it was just 50 years after 1776. There were still feelings not tamed and people that engaged the British in war were still living in some cases. The war of 1812 also brought animosity to our ancestors, but we were our own nation and we were proud. The British rule was over and it would never again return; we were unified as a nation and proud.
There was a certain irony as we celebrated 50 years of independence. Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams departed this world on this day of jubilation. Two men so very revered passing on this day of celebration within hours of each other brought great sorrow to our nation.
In 1876, our ancestors again gathered for the noted centennial celebration, marking 100 years of independence from England. The first World’s Fair was the focal point during this Centennial celebration. It was rightfully held in Philadelphia at West Fairmont Park and attended by 10 million people. There were celebrations, fireworks and parades around the nation but there was more. Our ancestors utilized the World’s Fair to showcase some American ingenuity.
President Grant opened this Philadelphia Exposition that featured the new Corliss Steam Engine and Alexander Grahams Bell’s new telephone. People attending the 1876 World’s Fair during the centennial celebration were able to witness the new Remington Typewriter, Steam Driven Monorail and even this new product called Heinz Ketchup. Locally, we celebrated with cannons, fireworks, church bells chiming and, of course, parades. The Monitor newspaper even sent a reporter down to the World’s Fair to write about the celebration for the people of Concord.
President Grant stood amongst the patriotic music at the World’s Fair and enjoyed a 100-gun salute. He spoke briefly and in character with the Monitor reporter writing President Grant’s words regarding the centennial celebration; “Whilst proud of what we have done, we regret we have not done more, but our people can acknowledge superior merits.” With the Civil War concluded, there was again peace and harmony in our nation.
In 1926, the U.S. once again celebrated another milestone on July 4. It was our nations sesquicentennial celebration. Following the period of the Spanish Flu and the Great War, our ancestors embraced celebration during this time. Unbeknownst to them, they would encounter another tragic period: the Great Depression would visit within the next three years. Once again there was a grand exposition in Philadelphia where the best of the best was showcased and celebrated. There was a 300-acre military camp for the public to visit and an 80-foot replica of the Liberty Bell. People celebrated our 150 years of independence with local parades, barbecues, festivals and fireworks. They had encountered much hardship and a celebration was in order as the sun set on July 4, 1926.
As the next 50 years passed, our great nation welcomed another celebration on July 4, 1976, with the bicentennial. It was a time to reflect on our 200th year of independence. I fondly recall this year of celebration here in Concord as a young teenager. There were parades, reenactments and traditional methods of celebrating our great nation. I recall the Memorial Field fireworks and the special 1776-1976 Bicentennial License Plates on the front of our vehicles. Most notably, I remember traveling to Manchester to see the American Freedom Train Tour on April 14, 1976.
As I sit and write this story, I feel great pride for this great nation we call home. We have encountered four milestone celebrations with our jubilee, centennial, sesquicentennial and bicentennial celebrations. It is this year we celebrate yet another milestone in our nation, the 2026 semiquincentennial celebration. On July 4, here in Concord, we will once again celebrate in ways similar to our ancestors dating back 250 years. We will enjoy our family gatherings, parades and formal presentations. We will once again gather at Memorial Field as the fireworks explode above. Celebrations have many meanings for many people — it is not the grandness of an event but the simple pleasure in knowing and recognizing this accomplishment. We have lived independent from British rule for 250 years.
This summer, embrace our forefathers that have celebrated here in Concord for over two centuries. Rejoice as one and embrace this celebration together as a community. This July 4, I will be at Memorial Field in Concord watching the sun set. My wife and I will have our grandchildren seated between us on a blanket, watching as the fireworks illuminate the field and conclude with a boom that will tickle your ears.