Lebanon County officials receive funding requests for national birthday celebration

The Lebanon County Committee of America250 presented two funding requests to the County Commissioners at a workshop on Wednesday, August 21.

America250 is a national celebration of the country's 250th birthday and will include local events in each Pennsylvania county to commemorate the auspicious occasion. The celebration is especially significant in Pennsylvania because the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. The Commonwealth's commemoration is titled America250PA and, according to the state's event website, has a tourism theme of “Start here, America Did!”

Five county committee representatives, including Chairwoman Josie Ames, asked commissioners for $10,000 to pay bills associated with the event through the end of 2024.

The second request concerns funding for the initiative from January 1 through the event on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Two requests were made because the county has already covered two-thirds of the 2024 fiscal year, according to County Administrator Jamie Wolgemuth. He also reminded commissioners that funds can still be made available to pay existing and future bills through the end of this year.

He said discussions on the 2025 county budget should begin in the near future.

Commissioners did not take action on any of the funding requests on Wednesday as it was a workshop session, but Commission Chair Robert Phillips told LebTown that these funding requests should be on the agenda of their next regular meeting on Thursday, September 5.

The County Commissioners meet on the first and third Thursday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in Room 207 of the County Building.

On funding, Phillips agreed with committee members, saying he had $10,000 in mind by the end of the year, and requested that if costs exceed that amount, those potential expenses should first be cleared with commissioners before they are made.

Phillips further noted that it was unacceptable for committee members to incur out-of-pocket expenses while setting up the district program. It was stated that itemized expenses for these expenses should be submitted to the district for reimbursement.

Committee members incurred expenses of several hundred dollars for the production of promotional items, including flags, coasters and T-shirts, as well as travel expenses to planning meetings for the event.

“We don’t want you to spend your money and then try to get it back,” Phillips said.

Jen Kuzo, president of Visit Lebanon Valley and a member of the committee, said her board approved $45,000 over three years to market Lebanon County as a destination for the county's festivities. Visit Lebanon Valley is the county's tourism agency.

Committee members said they had an information booth at the Mount Gretna Outdoor Arts Show and during Community Night at the Lebanon Area Fair. Members said it became apparent that few local residents knew the nation's 500th anniversary was less than two years away or what America250 was all about.

“During Community Night at the fair's Expo Center, a lot of people came to our table and had no idea what America250 was,” said Ames, who also said the committee realized it needed a mission statement. “We wanted to get them interested in what's happening in 2026.”

Kuzo explained this idea.

“We realized something else at Community Night: We really need to educate people in the community, the public, about what's coming in the celebrations across the United States,” said Kuzo, who announced that between now and July 4, 2026, the group will begin sending press releases to radio stations, new agencies and others to inform community members of the committee's actions.

Committee member Tom Newmaster said the group has created a Facebook page and will set up a website to keep local people updated on the plans' progress. Administrative costs will be covered by the county, while Visit Lebanon Valley will cover tourism marketing costs.

Another PR effort is to have a promotional float at every future parade in Lebanon County leading up to the day of the big event. This effort would ideally begin at the Christmas parade in November.

In addition to marketing, the committee has held brainstorming sessions that have resulted in some concrete ideas. In addition, state officials are asking counties to build a replica of the Liberty Bell at their own expense, which Newmaster told LebTown after the meeting would be a very expensive undertaking.

Newmaster said the committee has looked at a fiberglass version that would cost $10,000. The committee hopes to cover that cost through sponsorship. “But until we have that money, the expense is unknown,” Newmaster added.

The committee has explored the creation of a county-specific historical mosaic, for which the artist has listed a price of $20,000. Other possible ideas would include an expanded fireworks display and a community-wide picnic at a large venue such as the Lebanon County Exposition Center and Fairgrounds on July 4, 2026.

These are currently just ideas that have been discussed so far. The committee has received two pages of suggestions from its Facebook followers.

Funding is required for all events. The workshop discussed where the collected donations, sponsorship money and other funds should be deposited. Wogelmuth said that large donations could be processed through the county treasury in the form of checks, but that the treasury is not equipped to handle smaller amounts of money from tip jars and other sources.

Kuzo noted that the idea of asking local residents to contribute $20.26 was discussed. She was asked if it would be possible for the tourism agency to collect funds, but that is also problematic since her agency does not collect funds for its programs.

After the meeting, Kuzo told LebTown that having a jar for collecting small amounts gives local residents or children who throw a few coins in a sense of belonging to such an event.

“It (the PA250 money) has to go somewhere safe and clean,” Kuzo told commissioners. “Libations Trail is free and Java Journey is $10, but that goes directly to the cafes. Lebanon Lilly's book funds are paid out in cash and that money goes directly to the libraries.”

Commissioner Mike Kuhn suggested the committee follow the example of a local nonprofit that wanted to restore a Civil War statue in a Fredericksburg cemetery. That group, he said, has its donations wired to a local bank.

Read more: 140-year-old guardian statue to be renovated as part of a restoration project

During the workshop, Committee members informed Commissioners of further news.

Ames said the group has created a mission statement that reads: “Our mission is to bring the people of Lebanon County together to commemorate America's 250th anniversary by honoring the history of the Lebanon Valley and instilling pride in our county, our state and our country.”

Kuhn suggested that the group include the anniversary date, July 4, 2026, in its mission statement to give the holiday more meaning.

The company also wants to involve non-profit organizations in the planning.

“We're also trying to get a lot of nonprofits involved like Kiwanis, Lions Club and Rotary to get the message out,” Ames said. “We want more committee representatives than the current five people. We need more people if we're going to do what we want to do.”

Ames said the committee is currently in discussions with Pat Kerwin, executive director of the Lebanon Valley Expo Center, about how to incorporate that location into the festivities. The committee also met last week with Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello, who said the city would be happy to participate and the committee would get support once it receives approval from the City Council.

Kuzo presented an update on tourism-related brainstorming.

A video on the theme “Lebanon Valley Proud” is in the final stages of production. There will be one more day of visiting different locations to film the county's assets. Kuzo explained that the videographer will then do the editing and the plan is to have the video completed in “about a month.”

Another point of discussion was how tourism can be included in the celebrations of the nation's 250th anniversary.

Some ideas focus on current tourism initiatives and there are plans to hold events that encourage children to learn about the country's rich heritage.

One theme could be “Red, White and Moo” to highlight Lebanon Lilly, the tourism agency's mascot. Other ideas included “Red, White and Do,” “Red, White and Look,” and “Red, White and Chew,” which could feature our country's colors on cupcakes.

Kuzo reminded commission members that she had sent them updates on what they were working on and what they planned to do in the future. She added that her board was willing to provide funds to market the celebration.

While discussing possible events, Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz suggested a “barnstorming” tour of the area’s historic barns, given the county’s agricultural heritage, adding that “our barns have their own story to tell.”

Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Contact our newsroom using this contact form and we will do our best to respond.

Free news isn't cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a local news champion. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a One-time contributionor as monthly or Annual Member. You can cancel at any time.

Lebanon County officials receive funding requests for national birthday celebration

You may also like...

Recent Posts

Lebanon County officials receive funding requests for national birthday celebration

You may also like...

Inmate dies after incident with cellmate at Green Bay Correctional Institution • Wisconsin Examiner

San Diego police officer and suspect die in crash; second officer ‘fighting for his life’

A woman dies in an accident in San José

Recent Posts