All the Jefferson County Library branches are celebrating America’s 250th birthday this year with a variety of fun and educational activities.
The De Soto Public Library is also commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial with a couple of special programs.
July 4 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Jefferson County Library’s four branches – Arnold, Cedar Hill, Northwest and Windsor – will incorporate American history into this year’s crafts, children’s library, book club program, and other activities, said Aaliya Kindt, the library’s public engagement manager.
The De Soto Public Library has a year-round scavenger hunt planned for all ages and a reading challenge for adult patrons to mark the country’ special birthday.
As of January, no America 250 programs were planned at the Crystal City and Festus public libraries, but patrons may visit the libraries’ Facebook pages for updates on activities offered.
Kickoff
The kickoff of the Jefferson County Library’s America 250 programs will feature women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony, who was born in 1820 and died in 1906.
On Saturday, Feb. 28, Rebecca Now, author, re-enactor and founder of the St. Louis-based Voices of American HERstory, and fellow re-enactor Jenny Grace Morris will bring the suffragist to life at the Arnold branch, 1701 Missouri State Road.
Mimicking a talk show format, host “Rebecca-Now-and-Then” will interview Morris’ “time-traveling” character Susan B. Anthony about women’s voting rights. The audience will have a chance to ask their own questions, too.
Charlene Oldham, adult services manager at the Arnold branch, said the library held a similar program last February with Now and a re-enactor portraying Sojourner Truth. Oldham said Now’s programs are engaging and informative.
“(Now has) been here once before,” Oldham said. “It was one of the best library programs I’ve ever hosted. We are happy to have her back to kind of kick off America 250 and as a preview of Women’s History Month in March.”
The free program is geared for adults and children 9 years and older. Seating is limited, so registration is required by visiting jeffcolib.org/events/america-250 and clicking on the link below “Activities & Events.”
American Revolution Experience
From March 30 to April 11, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Battlefield Trust will bring the American Revolution Experience traveling exhibit to the Northwest branch, 5680 Hwy. PP in High Ridge.
The exhibit will feature 12 display panels and three interactive digital kiosks introducing visitors to historical characters with diverse experiences. Rather than focusing only on generals and famous statesmen, it introduces audiences to drummer boys and other ordinary people who were impacted.
The traveling exhibit has been displayed at libraries, historical societies and museums across the nation since 2024.
Jennifer Mathes, the Northwest branch manager, said other educational programs will be held in conjunction with the exhibit that will allow residents to explore their own personal roots.
Immigrant experience
Kindt said the Arnold branch is planning an Immigrant Experience oral history project.
“JCL Arnold is putting together oral histories from local immigrants from a variety of different backgrounds for an oral history collection called the Immigrant Experience,” she said.
Oldham said it will be like the library’s Saluting our Soldiers project last year when she compiled oral histories of five local soldiers.
She said a lot of the focus of the America 250 programs are on the colonial period, but she also wanted to feature a different side of America. Oldham is a first-generation American as her mother emigrated from Japan before she was born. Through the library, she has met several longtime library users who are first-generation Americans.
Oldham said she expects a handful of immigrants will be interviewed, and she may have their close friends or family ask the questions.
When the project is complete, residents will be able to view the full interviews, as well as five-minute vignettes at the library, jeffcolib.org/genealogy/our-archives or the Jefferson County Library-Missouri YouTube page.
Oldham said the project will take a lot of work, but it will be worth it.
Roots and Branches Festival
The Northwest branch is organizing a Roots and Branches Festival, an expansion of the usual Family History event that features genealogy programs and speakers from the Missouri Humanities Speakers Bureau. Northwest branch manager Jennifer Mathes said the date for the event has not been determined yet, but it normally is held in October.
“We’re going to expand it outside,” Kindt said. “We will have all those high-quality speakers inside and then outside; we will be doing some festival things that anybody can come to, regardless of whether they are library cardholders or not. They are welcome to come to all our events and activities.”
American songwriters
On Jan. 21, more than a dozen children and their parents took part in an America 250-themed Kids Learn class at the Arnold branch. The topic for the class, led by children’s librarian Amy Held, was Great Musicians and American Songwriters.
Originally, Held planned to share information about 10 well-known songwriters from the 1800s to 2026 but decided to add an 11th, Taylor Swift to the delight of 10-year-old Maddie Hanning of Imperial and the displeasure of most of the boys, including 10-year-old Easton Buerck of Imperial.
During the program, some children colored music-themed pages while Held talked about each songwriter’s contribution to music, their successes and failures. She let the children listen to samples of each artist’s music.
The children gave a thumbs-down to Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer” and Prince’s “1999” but all of them liked Randy Newman’s “You Got a Friend in Me.” It was a clear favorite for Sawyer Schauf, 7, who started singing it again after the class ended.
Corbin Morgan, 10, of Arnold was particularly interested in Jimmie Rodgers, who was known for yodeling, since Morgan likes yodeling. Morgan made it clear his favorite band was Imagine Dragons, though.
His mother, Lisa Morgan, said Corbin and his 8-year-old brother, Connor, take piano lessons and were familiar with some of the featured musicians, like Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Pete Seeger, Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift.
More activities
Kindt said other programs will be held throughout the year.
“Jefferson County Library-Arnold will be hosting a fun twist on Americana with a patriotic craft series for adults and a quarterly fiction discussion group for adults,” she said. “(All the Jefferson County Library branches) will release a curated reading list for adults each quarter of 2026. Adult readers can enjoy four reading lists, with each focusing on a different era of American history (1700s, 1800s, 1900s and present day).”
The lists are available online and inside each branch.
To keep up with all of the activities related to America’s 250th birthday, visit jeffcolib.org/events/america-250.
De Soto Public Library
The De Soto Public Library, 712 S. Main St., has created two activities for America’s 250th birthday.
Library director Sharon Kirkpatrick said America’s 250th Birthday Scavenger Hunt began on Jan. 1. Each month, patrons are asked to find the patriotic item in the library and collect a star to put on an American flag at the library.
De Soto Public Library patrons will receive a star sticker each month they find the hidden patriotic item.
“Find one every month of 2026 and win a fun prize,” she said.
Kirkpatrick said library staff do not give any clues during the scavenger hunt. The idea is to learn more about the library and what it offers. The patriotic item for January was a tiny, crocheted, red, white and blue hat that staff member Kristin Alexander made.
The library’s other activity is for adult readers. Readers are asked to pick up a reading log sheet at the library desk and then read a novel nonfiction book that takes place in each of the 50 states. Those who do so will win lunch with the library director.