America will reach its 250th anniversary this weekend, and for the special semiquincentennial, Sampson County’s A250 Committee is continuing to offer a variety of events that will honor that milestone throughout the remainder of the year .
The Coharie Tribe and Friends of Sampson County Waterways are teaming up for the upcoming Paddle Through History event, where visitors can kayak up the Great Coharie River, moving from the old Star Telephone building and out near the bridge on Five Bridge Road. The kayaking event will be held on Wednesday, July 25. There is a fee to participate.
“Throughout the trip, there’ll be environmental education, with plant ID’s, trees, birds,” watershed coordinator Kullen Bell said. “Then we’ll also tie in some American history with a focus on the Revolutionary War. We’ll then come back to the Tribal Center for a 45-minute tour of the Tribal Center, where we’ll share with the visitors the history of the building, the school (East Carolina Indian School), and the history of our tribe.”
Guests will also be able to see the Coharie Tribe’s 600-year-old dugout canoe, found by Johnathan Autry in 2018 in the South River, in addition to being able to visit their museum and art galleries, and an introduction into the tribe’s culture and arts. With America 250 right around the corner, Bell felt that the kayaking idea was perfect.
“I’m a member of the America 250 Committee for the county,” he explained. “We were just thinking of different events we could have throughout the year just to promote tourism, getting people out into the county. So, we thought this was a neat idea to partner with the Coharie River Tours. We take around 60 trips a year with nearly 500 people. The Friends of Sampson County Waterways is more of a debris removal group than a paddle group, so it just fit. It’s a neat opportunity to share the Native American culture.”
For Bell, America’s independence highlights the overall story that’s been told in just a short period of time.
“We’re still a young country, being 250 years old, semiquincentennial,” Bell said. “But it just shows the history of our nation and how it started, with some of the good and bad that’s happened over time to show us where we’re at today.”
The following month, the American Revolution will come to Sampson County by way of the county’s History Museum, which will be hosting The American Revolution Experience on Wednesday, Aug 5. through Wednesday, Aug.12. The exhibit is free to view at the museum from 10 am to 4 p.m. every day during its run, except for Sunday, Aug 9 (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
“The American Revolution Experience is a pop-up traveling exhibit that brings the stories of ordinary people during the Revolutionary War to communities across the United States.”
Richard Clinton Daughters of the American Revolution Regent Penny Lockerman explained. “It’s a project that is a result of the collaboration of the American Battlefield Trust and the Daughters of the American Revolution, designed to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of the United States.”
The American Revolution was one of the most significant wars in the nation’s history, one that people sometimes forget details about as time passes.
”This exhibit helps remind us what actually happened and how patriots fought for our freedom.” Lockerman emphasized. “If this had not occurred, we would not be a free nation; we’d be under British rule. We would not have our independence if this did not happen. I think that people are so busy living their day to days live, they just don’t think about it. But it just really brings to our attention how valuable our freedom is.”
Lockerman hopes that the community comes out in full support for the pop-up exhibit, noting America’s 250th anniversary as an important milestone that “we need to celebrate.”
To round out the rest of the Sampson County A250 events, the Rich Farm and Venue in Roseboro will host the Gatsie Ruth Festival on Saturday Sep.12 from noon to 6 p.m.; downtown Clinton will play host to its annual Square Fair event from Oct.9 to Oct.10, with a Friday concert from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the Street Fair the following day, Oct.10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closing out thethe lineup will be the annual Veteran’s Day Celebration held on Nov. 11 and Nov.12 at the Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center on that Wednesday at 11 a.m. Clinton High School is also scheduled to celebrate on those two dates, but the time has not been determined.