“We know our city has a tremendous number of veterans and a lot of patriotism across the board,” Meyers said.
“Why don’t we take a step above this and really do some fun things for this great birthday that our nation will be celebrating and make it a year-long type of programming event?”
In a straw vote amongst his fellow council members, all seemed on board with his suggestion. Among the ideas were:
- An enhanced Memorial Day parade with floats.
- A council meeting as it would have been conducted 250 years ago with council members and staff donned in wigs and costumes depicting 1776 attire.
- Creating an “old time dinner” at the Community Arts Center complete with food from the late 1700s.
- Focusing on Fairfield’s history in one of the quarterly newsletters mailed to residents.
- Partnering with the Fairfield Footlighters to perform a celebratory play in the Village Green amphitheater.
“We are really excited about the idea of creating various events and programming to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime milestone and generate patriotism during the summer of 2026,” said Scott Timmer, city manager.
Once council gives its official approval at an upcoming meeting, work can begin on determining a budget for the effort along with establishing a dedicated 250th birthday steering committee, Timmer said.
That group likely would include interested residents, city staff, council members and representatives from partner groups.
“From there, we will dive into developing all the programming and event opportunities,” Timmer said.
“It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity for Fairfield to really shine and celebrate this important moment in American history.”
Councilman Dale Paullus suggested it might be the right time to bring back a city-wide festival. Councilwoman Debbie Pennington, who is president of the Fairfield Historical Society, said it would be appropriate to have the society involved, lending its artifacts and historical expertise to the mix.
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