2025 is coming to an end and soon will be a year to look back on. Whether it was a good year or not, it is for you to decide.

Now we can look ahead to 2026, a year that will mark the 250th birthday or U.S. Semiquincentennial of our nation.

This major national celebration will culminate on July 4, 2026, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed and 250 years of American independence.

Events and other activities are being planned across the country, including right here in North Dakota. Celebrations and other activities, including for schools and communities, will focus on programs from patriotic to local history. The national celebration is being organized by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and the White House Task Force.

Here in our state, North Dakota joins this historic milestone through the ND250 Commission. Celebrations and other events will be held in the state, featuring the state’s role in America’s story as well as looking ahead to the future.

“This milestone offered a meaningful opportunity for North Dakota to come together and reflect on the values that shaped the United States into the greatest nation in the world,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said in an announcement about the ND250 Commission. “North Dakota is proud to play a leading role in honoring America’s 250th anniversary through education, remembrance and civic engagement, while paying tribute to the generation of exceptional North Dakotans who continue to define our state and contribute to the American success story.”

“ND250 and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the totality of North Dakota’s history and what it means to be both an American and North Dakotan. We are excited about taking this opportunity to ask North Dakotans what their ancestors were doing 250 years ago, and what it means to them today to be an American,” Bill Peterson, director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota and ND250 Commission chair, said in the announcement about the ND250 Commission.

North Dakota’s celebration kicked off Nov. 2 at the North Dakota Heritage Center, coinciding with N.D. Statehood Day.

Local events are being planned in conjunction with the nation’s 250th birthday, including those of the North Dakota State Parade and North Dakota State Fair, both held in July in Minot. The opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library at Medora on July 4 also is being planned in conjunction with the national event.

Many other celebrations and activities are being planned, to be held throughout the year, according to ND250 information.

Be sure to attend some of the events or take part in them to help this nation celebrate 250 years of independence.