Ready For The Big Party

Boning up on history was only part of the preparation to help Monmouth make a splash during America’s 250th birthday celebration this summer.

On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress approved and adopted the Declaration of Independence (though many historians now believe it was actually, officially signed on August 2). You may also have noticed that in 2026 there’s a celebration planned for the country’s “semiquincentennial,” America 250. National events kicked off last year, with the United States Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Virginia in June, and have been ramping up as we approach Independence Day.

The places you’d expect have been going all out— Boston and Philadelphia will be heard from, of course. But our state isn’t lagging. New Jersey is considered the “crossroads of the American Revolution” for its pivotal role in the conflict. And one of the most consequential engagements was the Battle of Monmouth, which took place right here in Manalapan. If anywhere in the Garden State should make a big deal out of 250, it’s Monmouth.

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon agrees. She knew that Monmouth was poised to take advantage of the event and do something spectacular. “Back in 2023, I started hearing about other places working on America 250 events,” she says. “I started doing research about it, because I have great memories of the country’s bicentennial celebration when I was a child. I wanted something like that here. The national apparatuses were already in place.” That national committee was set up in 2016—as it turns out, putting together a full-year birthday party for a nation of more than 340 million people takes time.

Hanlon knew Monmouth had the chance to do something special. “I brought the idea to the Board of County Commissioners, and they were on board right away,” she says. A county resolution was passed and a committee created to oversee and guide planning and operations. It was co-chaired by Hanlon and Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, with representatives from other government departments and the Monmouth County Historical Association. Finally, Ted Maturo was brought on as the executive director to handle everyday operations.

Where to start planning with a celebration this big? It only makes sense to look to the past—though Hanlon didn’t go back to the 1770s right away. She explains, “I oversee the county archives, and we have thousands of documents about the county’s bicentennial celebration in 1976—photographs, newsletters, program guides, you name it. Not only from the county—we had information from private entities, from the state, from every town in Monmouth.” Hanlon and Maturo went through the documents together and used them to make a game plan. Everything steadily intensified as 2026 crept nearer.

“We wanted it to be about how important Monmouth is to the Revolution and to U.S. history in general, and the vital people who came from here,” says Hanlon. “But we didn’t only want to focus on the history. We wanted to create celebrations that would make people feel good and patriotic—and be a lot of fun.”

If fun was the goal, Monmouth 250 has already met it. Hanlon confesses that one of the most difficult parts of planning was making sure there were time and resources for every idea the committee came up with. Events have been constant since January: Colonial dance nights, lectures for the anniversaries of important battles and for Black History Month, a birthday celebration for George Washington, trivia nights and fishing derbies were just the start.

There’s more fun on the way. Monmouth partnered with PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel for a free concert on July 1 featuring the United States Army Field Band and the female vocal group the American Bombshells, who resemble the Andrews Sisters of World War II vintage. Hanlon herself is particularly looking forward to the “Stars & Strides” Flag Day 5K and 1-mile Freedom Walk on June 14 in Holmdel and the “Red, White & You” parade on June 28 in Middletown, which promise lots of family fun. In addition, she singles out America’s Birthday Gala at Holmdel’s Bell Works on June 25 as a likely highlight. She’s not the only one excited about that one—more than a thousand tickets were sold in only two weeks.

“I’ve really found people to be very excited and very proud of Monmouth County,” says Hanlon. “That means a lot. People from other counties tell me, ‘I’m coming to your events.’ Organizations from out of state have asked for our materials to use as models. We’ve worked on this and pumped it up for three years, and it feels like it’s paid off because the feedback has been phenomenal.”

Monmouth 250 has also hosted several student writing and art contests, and those results have been equally phenomenal. Says Hanlon: “We’ve been so inspired by what they’ve written. Our essay contest was for grades six through eight, and we asked them to write about what patriotism means to them. It was all so thoughtful. These kids are sharing stories that make you realize our future is really bright.”

The planning committee also relished the chance to deep-dive into local history and the minutiae of the Revolution. “I didn’t fully realize that Monmouth was the center of so much conflict,” says Hanlon. “Battles, yes, but neighbors were also fighting each other and burning each other’s houses down. There were more average people siding with the British in Monmouth County than anywhere else in New Jersey. People here thought of themselves as British.”

Dissension? Division? Maturo can’t help finding a modern parallel. “Right now, there’s a lot of turmoil around the country, lots of conflicting points of view,” he says. “You can look to the Revolutionary era and draw a straight line to today— people were divided then, but it was even worse, because people would go burn down each other’s livelihoods. But I take some comfort in that, because if we got through that level of strife back then, we’re going to be OK, even though we’re going through a rough time.”

That’s the feeling they both really want to promote in the celebration. “This is meant to be a way for people to come together and find common ground,” says Hanlon. “Young and old, no matter what walk of life you come from, this is a celebration for everyone.”