Spotlight Vermont 250
History Comes Alive at Spotlight Vermont 250
City Hall Park, Burlington, VT | Saturday, July 11, 11am-2pm
Celebrating America's 250th
Saturday, July 11, 11am-2pm | City Hall Park
Celebrate 250 years of Vermont history and culture at this lively, family-friendly festival featuring 30+ museums, historical societies, and cultural organizations! Enjoy hands-on activities, artifact touch-and-learns, crafts, games, demonstrations, live music, a history photo booth, face painting, giveaways, food vendors, and a splash pad for kids.
12:45pm: Short remarks about the 250th anniversary by Dr. Alexandra Garrett, the official Revolutionary War Historian for Vermont's 250th (appointed by the Governor).
Spotlight Vermont 250 is presented by Chittenden County Historical Society, Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, and Love Burlington. Supported by Vermont Humanities and Vermont 250th Anniversary.
Learn more about our Vermont museums, historical societies, and cultural organizations!
The Burlington History & Culture Center celebrates the many cultures that built our Queen City. It’s all about you! The Center envisions wide diversity in the historical stories we present to help us understand the issues we now face. The Center’s mission is to broaden our historical knowledge, celebrate our historical diversity, and present the overlooked stories of the men and women who built Burlington and are still building it. Knowing our diverse history will help us see ourselves as active participants in the city’s history.
Activity: Decorate shopping bags based on vintage designs from Burlington businesses. Plus, free chocolates!
The Burlington Irish Heritage Festival celebrates and raises awareness of Irish and Irish-American culture in Burlington, Vermont and the surrounding region, with a special focus on the calendar period around St. Patrick’s Day. The BIHF works with local musicians, dancers, writers, historians, artists, and co-sponsors to create a core set of events during the week closest to St. Patrick’s Day.
Activity: Sign up for the mailing list for future Burlington Irish Heritage Festivals
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a fraternal organization founded in 1819. Its mission is to improve and elevate the character of mankind. IOOF members are dedicated to friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity, and universal justice. They also strive to help make the world a better place by aiding each other, the community, and the less fortunate.
Activity: Sidewalk chalk & information about the Odd Fellows
Launched in 1984, CCTV Center for Media & Democracy advances free speech, promotes local democracy, facilitates participation in political decision-making, and builds unity and empathy in the community by convening, recording, airing, sharing, and archiving community voices.
Activity: Video recording the event & interviewing people to record messages for 250 years from now & on what the 250th means to them
The Chittenden County Historical Society was founded in 1965 by area residents who shared a deep interest in the history of Chittenden County and the Champlain Valley Region. CCHS is a non-profit membership organization. Our mission is to encourage discovery and publication of historical material, to promote original research about the area, to highlight specific topics in our history through informative presentations, and to recognize efforts to preserve our past by making annual awards..
Activity: Spin the History Wheel -- questions and little prizes for winning. Book sales.
Election Ward Clerks: The City relies on members of the community to offer their time to work at the polls. Tasks that workers perform include helping direct voters to the right place, setting up and breaking down the poll, assisting in reporting election results, handing out ballots, registering voters and marking voter participation.
Activity: Encourage people to register to vote in Vermont. Inform people where their polling place will be (if they are a Burlington resident) for the primary in August and the election in November.
The mission of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum is to bring to life and preserve the history of this intervale park, including the 1780’s Ethan Allen Homestead.
Activity: Photobooth with historical costumes, paper quilt-making craft, pen & ink calligraphy station
At the Vermont Genealogy Library (VTGENLIB), home of the Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society, we provide expert resources, classes, and assistance for individuals to uncover the stories behind their Vermont, French-Canadian, Scottish, English, Irish, or German ancestry.
Activity: Intro to genealogical research; historic photo display
The Heritage Winooski Mill Museum is an important resource for educators and students, a value to the community, and a substantial contribution to documenting the industrial and cultural history of Vermont. We strive to be a social anchor in the community, foster community well-being, and be purposeful in our inclusion and collaboration with the diverse local population.
Activity: Rigid Heddle Weaving activity with tabletop looms
The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) is a Congressionally-designated initiative to restore and protect Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed. We work with partners in New York, Vermont, and Québec to coordinate and fund efforts to address challenges in the areas of phosphorus pollution, toxic substances, biodiversity, aquatic invasive species, and climate change. The LCBP also administers the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, which builds appreciation and improves stewardship of the region’s rich cultural resources by interpreting and promoting its history.
Activity: Make your own watershed craft activity & enviroscapes watershed model display
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum opened its first building, a historic stone schoolhouse, in 1985 with the mission to preserve and share the cultural and natural heritage of the Lake Champlain region. Today, the Museum serves a broad community throughout the Champlain Valley and beyond, working to connect all people with Lake Champlain through learning experiences, exhibits, and collections at its 3-acre waterfront campus, digital engagement, boat building, underwater archaeology research projects, and more.
Activity: Touch & learn about a 3D-printed reproduction of a Revolutionary War cannon that was used in battles on Lake Champlain!
The Lost Mural Project preserves and interprets a rare and important example of early 20th century Jewish Art (“The Lost Mural”) painted by an immigrant for a Vermont immigrant community, and uses this singular and powerful artifact to explore the contributions of indigenous and immigrant communities which have created Vermont’s broad cultural heritage.
Activity: Interaction with Intersections Mapping Program via illustrations and questionnaire
The Milton Historical Society is a non-profit, volunteer run, 501(c)(3) organization established in 1978 dedicated to preserving Milton Vermont's history through education, exhibits, and community outreach. It is supported by sponsors, membership dues, merchandise sales, and donations. The Milton Historical Society operates the Milton Historical Museum, located in the former Trinity Episcopal Church building at 13 School Street, which was built in 1891.
Activity: History of racing station: coloring books and crayons, and a Hot Wheels race track!
The Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village opened in 1925. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum chronicles the history of Northern Vermont through its collections, exhibits, events and educational programs. A featured stop on Vermont’s African American Heritage Trail, the museum tells the story of African American Alexander Lucius Twilight. Mr. Twilight was the first African American college graduate and state legislator in the United States and he built our namesake Old Stone House which he called Athenian Hall.
Activity: Historic games for kids
- Pathway to Plant: Garden Guide and Design. Learn to make management decisions based on the life cycles and growth habits of plants that planted themselves.
- Cunningfolk Apothecary: Small batch herbal crafts from plant friends locally wild gathered or lovingly grown in western Vermont.
- At the Root LLC, provides resources and events for artists, mission-driven small business, and non-profit organizations to nourish and support social justice work through art, food, and community events.
Activity: Mapping game, coloring sheets, & build a monument craft/activity
Learn more about Pathway to Plant
Learn more about Cunningfolk Apothecary
Preservation Burlington is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to preserve and protect the historic architecture and livability of Burlington through education and advocacy.
Activity: Giveaways of Preservation Burlington informational materials, historic buildings coloring books, and stickers!
Pride Center of Vermont celebrates, educates and advocates with and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and queer Vermonters.
Activity: Display from the Vermont Queer Archives, coloring pages, crosswords, trivia, stickers, and other small free giveaways
From 1793 to 1961, Rokeby was home to four generations of Robinsons — a remarkable family of Quakers, farmers, abolitionists, artists, and authors. Today, the Robinson family’s home is a National Historic Landmark, designated for its exceptional Underground Railroad history. Rokeby is among the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country, one that the National Park Service has described as “unrivaled among known sites for its historical integrity and the poignancy of the stories it tells.” Telling those stories is at the center of the Museum’s mission, which is to “connect visitors with the human experience of the Underground Railroad and with the lives of the Robinsons, who lived on and farmed this land for nearly 200 years.” Guided by Rachel Gilpin and Rowland Thomas Robinson’s commitment to speaking truth to power, today’s Rokeby is committed to serving as a center for the exploration and discussion of contemporary social justice issues.
Activity: Talk Like A Yankee game with selections of Rowland E. Robinson's work
The mission of Saint Albans Museum is to preserve and present the cultural heritage of St. Albans, Franklin County, and northwestern Vermont. We share our community stories through exhibits, education, community programs, cultural events & performances. A hub for community-based research, we elevate both the historic and present-day narratives of our local communities to highlight our contributions to the broader field of American history.
Activity: Stop by to connect with program staff
Silver Special Collections stewards and shares our collective story. We provide access to research materials relating to the study of Vermont, the history of the University of Vermont, and the history of the book as a form of humanistic expression.
Activity: Greetings from Burlington: Queen City Postcards: display of historical Burlington postcards & hands-on craft to make your own postcard
The Stannard Camp #2, with its headquarters in Milton, Vermont, meets on a regular basis at the Milton Historical Society Building. The Camp has a very good roster of Civil War hereditary members who can trace in many cases more than one ancestor that was part of the Union Federal forces during the conflict between 1861 and 1865.
Activity: Civil War quizzes, photos with equipment, research ancestors who fought in Vermont units
Housed in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences' Plant Biology Department, the Pringle Herbarium serves systematic and floristic research regionally and globally, with a geographic focus on Vermont and the New World tropics. Their collection, founded in 1902, holds 380,000 sheets. It is the second largest herbarium in New England.
Activity: Hands-on exhibit about local plants
Governor Phil Scott signed an executive order creating the 250th Anniversary Commission to plan, coordinate and promote observances and activities that commemorate the historic events associated with the American Revolution in Vermont. The year 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the formation of the United States of America. Vermonters played a significant role in the colonists' assertion of independence from Great Britain, from the Green Mountain Boys successful assault at Fort Ticonderoga to the Battle of Hubbardton, and to the Battle of Bennington where Vermont troops helped defeat a British force to set up the victories that turned the war in favor of the new Americans. Events and education will continue with the commemoration of the 1777 campaign and the founding of Vermont.
Activity: Short remarks about the 250th anniversary by Dr. Alexandra Garett, the official Revolutionary War Historian for Vermont's 250th (appointed by the Governor); this will take place at 12:45pm
Formed in 1968, the Vermont Archaeological Society (VAS) is a volunteer organization comprised of professional and avocational archaeologists and the interested public. The Society is committed to raising the awareness of Vermont’s past, while also protecting its valuable cultural resources from injury and exploitation.
Activity: Flint knapping demonstrations; plus artifact & archaeological equipment show & tell
The Vermont Early Music Project acknowledges the long history of strong research focusing on New England tunebooks and early music in general. In fact, we would not be establishing this presence if that were not the case. We act as a node on the web and a facilitator of information. Our mission is to connect the research and resources that already exist, augmenting where useful, and to encourage further research. Additionally, we can think of no better way to honor those past and present contributions to musical knowledge than by promoting the singing of this cultural artifact which is our music.
Activity: Participatory four-part acapella singing of songs from early Vermont, & performance on stage 12:30-12:45
Full Schedule:
- 11-12pm: Live music
- 12:15-12:40pm: Vermont Early Music Project
12:45-12:55pm Special 250th anniversary address by the Vermont State Revolutionary War historian for the 250th, Dr. Alexandra Garrett - 1-3pm: DJ dance party
Vermont Historical Society believes understanding the past changes lives and builds better communities. Our purpose is to engage Vermonters and Vermonters-at-Heart with outstanding collections, state-wide outreach, and dynamic programming.
Activity: Historic lawn games for kids, such as graces, stilt-walking, bean bag toss, & sack races
A statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1974, Vermont Humanities seeks to engage all Vermonters in the world of ideas, foster a culture of thoughtfulness, and inspire a lifelong love of reading and learning. A state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Vermont Humanities believes that engagement with the world of ideas, in interaction with others, contributes uniquely to richer lives, stronger communities, a more humane society, and a better world.
Activity: Book giveaways & a trivia game
The Vermont Schoolhouse Project was established in 2006 to create a historical inventory of the schools that have served Vermont students. Each school is identified with a brief history of the building and photographs (when available).
Activity: Information about historic Vermont schoolhouses, artifact show & tell, word search puzzles, & candy giveaways: Smarties and Dum Dums!
The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) is charged with administering the Statewide Records and Information Management (RIM) Program for all public agencies in accordance with generally accepted record-keeping principles and industry standards and best practices.
Activity: Embossing certified records & care of personal photos activities
The mission of the Williston Historical Society is to preserve Williston’s past for future generations, while chronicling the present as we prepare for our town’s future. This ensures that residents old and new are connected through the history and heritage of Williston, to create a strong sense of who we are as a community.
Activity: Student-made Abenaki Display with students available to discuss
Located within the historic Champlain Mill in Winooski, Vermont, the Winooski Historical Society preserves and archives information related to the Onion City's unique history.
Activity: The Sounds of Yesteryear: Historic recordings from the early 20th century played on crank-wound acoustic phonographs
Since 1981, Vermont Teddy Bear has been turning love into plush. As we celebrate our 45th Anniversary in 2026, we’re proud to be the leading American teddy bear manufacturer, creating premium stuffed animals of all shapes & sizes. Each one is backed by our Lifetime Guarantee, because the best gifts are meant to last forever—just like the memories.
Activity: Mascot Teddy to meet children & take photos
Founded in 1954 by Vermont historian, writer, and educator Dr. Arthur W. Peach, the 251 Club of Vermont encourages exploration of every corner of the state’s 251 cities and towns. Inspired by the question, “How can I come to know the real Vermont?”, Dr. Peach invited people to venture beyond the main roads to discover the communities, history, landscapes, and people that make Vermont unique. More than 70 years later, the 251 Club continues that tradition, inspiring members to experience the Green Mountain State one town at a time.
Activity: Trivia questions about the 252 cities in Vermont
