Europe is boiling and so is the price of an international flight. No wonder many Americans are choosing to keep their summer holiday plans planted on US soil.
Their timing couldn’t be better; in fact, it’s historic good luck. Every state is celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary this summer in its own way — from historic tall ship sailings to fire work extravaganzas. But a few states are taking a slightly quirkier approach to patriotism that’s not to be missed.
Below we’ve created a cheat sheet for making your historic all-American summer vacation an outside-the-box and utterly unforgettable treat.
Idaho / The revolutionary spuds
The idea came to Gem State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth last year, when she learned that security red tape might preclude someone from depicting Paul Revere in the kick-off for America 250 celebrations last April, during a re-enactment of his ride in Boise. She devised an unlikely solution relying on one of the potato commission’s squishy mascots, the Spuddy Buddy. Ellsworth dressed him up in a homemade Revere-inspired outfit she knocked up thanks to a childhood spent behind a sewing machine. “When I was in my early twenties, I wanted to work for the Muppets,” she told the Post, “You could create a person.”
Spud Revere was an instant hit – and spawned an impromptu addition to Idaho’s celebrations: the Revolutionary Spuds. Each of the 15-strong set, handsewn by Ellsworth over 10 hours or so, nods to a hero of the era: James Madispud, for example, or Spudjamin Franklin. “Potatoes don’t have shoulders, so they have quite a few figure challenges,” she laughed of the outfits, “And I had such a problem with John Adams, who has such a disgusting hairline. I didn’t make him at first.”
They’re on display at the State Capitol, but also roam on loan to events throughout America250. Each is used to champion a different club or activity like study circles or recipe exchanges – when she completed the set with Martha Tot Washingtater, that chip off the old block was designated as the mascot for an acts of service program launched earlier this year, for example.
Ellsworth has also written a book to accompany each costumed spud, and will soon launch them as miniaturized toys bundled with those books, American Girl-style. “It has changed my life. I never thought a year ago, I would have made 15 Revolutionary Spuds. The hardest part was knowing when to stop.”
North Carolina / World’s largest ice cream sundae
George Washington was an early ice cream obsessive: Martha would serve up dollops of homemade ice at her weekly levees, and there was ample gelato-making equipment at Mount Vernon when he died. How better to celebrate America 250, then, than by trying to beat the world record for the largest ice cream sundae? The record’s been held since 1988 by a team in Edmonton, Canada, who served up 20-plus tons of ice cream plus toppings.
This year, the Southport Fire Department in North Carolina will try to take that title during the July Fourth celebrations. It will take more than 54,000 pounds of nuts, whipped cream and more to take the crown, but if you’d like to help in the efforts — and yes, help with the cleanup — come to this historic maritime town which was founded barely a decade after Independence.
Michigan / Mackinac Island’s time machine
This gorgeous, all-American island off the Upper Peninsula is already a throwback-ish delight — there are only horse-drawn carriages or bikes instead of cars if you need to get around, and the cottagecore-heavy Grand Hotel looks largely unchanged since it was founded more than a century ago.
It’s leaning in to that backdrop via a series of special events for America 250: this year, via a new daily program with costumed historians at Fort Mackinac who’ll spin the yarn of how the British dismantled a fort on the mainland and moved it here for better defensive strategy against the upstart Americans. Over the holiday week, there’s an after hours tour of 1776-era artifacts that are rarely on show on July 2 as well as the Star Spangled Fourth bash on Independence Day proper. Expect 1880s-style bunting everywhere and a vintage baseball game played on Michigan’s oldest ballfield, using rules from the 1800s.
Kansas / America’s history in documents
The Louisiana Purchase. Brown vs. Board of Education. The Korean War Armistice Agreement. These documents, and more, helped shape what America is today, but many such treasures are rarely accessible to anyone outside Washington, DC — well, until this summer.
That’s when the Eisenhower Presidential Library in his hometown, and state, will open a landmark show as part of America250, running until July 5. Don’t miss the chance to take a snap in front of the Insta-ready local attraction on North Spruce: a six-foot diameter metal I like Ike button, nodding to Eisenhower’s presidential run that was made by local artist Jason Lahr.
And Finally: Nevis / The trial of Hamilton and Nelson
The tiny Caribbean island of Nevis was where founding father Alexander Hamilton was born, back when it was part of the British empire. Now, it’s paired with St. Kitts as an independent country, and is marking America’s birthday in an alternative, but intriguing way.
At the start of June, the Nevis Performing Arts Center kicked off an immersive, 90-minute-long show, “The Trial of Hamilton and Nelson” (Horatio, the English admiral, lived here when serving in the navy in the 1780s).
The show puts them both on trial, using historical evidence and under the eyes of a presiding judge, before the audience become the jury, and decides their fates each night. Come here to consider the Revolution – and the men who steered it – from an entirely different angle.
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