America 250 In Riverside
On the day the United States was forged in 1776, future President John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that future generations should mark this special day with “Pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more” to celebrate the victory of the great experiment in democracy. The founding of the country was truly an experiment, as the Constitution applied unprecedented Enlightenment principles, individual liberty, human rights, and limited representative authority to self-governance.
As John Adams had declared to Abigail, every July 4 the country is illuminated in patriotism from sea to shining sea. However, every fifty or one hundred years the United States marks particularly significant milestone anniversaries in an expansive manner. Many Riversiders recall the 18-month-long American Bicentennial celebration in 1976 as a national and local event of great fanfare. To underscore how elaborate this celebration was, the planning for the historic milestone began a decade earlier in the late 1960s.
However, the months and years preceding the Bicentennial were politically charged, and the nation hardly seemed in a celebratory mood. The Watergate scandal and President Nixon’s resignation in 1974, the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, and a weak national economic outlook had created an unsettled domestic mood. The Bicentennial could not have come at a better time and featured a series of major events to commemorate America’s birthday. Riverside competed to be named an official American Bicentennial City and was later awarded the designation. Events, branded merchandise, public art installations, and even buildings like City Hall were constructed as official Bicentennial projects. President Ford encouraged cities to focus on local pride and history as a way of honoring the diversity and nuance of American history. The Soroptimist International of Riverside and Mayor Ben Lewis installed the Riverside History Walk at the former Raincross Square Convention Center as a localized Bicentennial project. After its removal in 2012 and fifteen years in storage, the History Walk was reinstalled in December 2025 in front of the Historic Courthouse.
Five decades later, today’s national mood may feel similar to the early 1970s with frustration and division gripping the political discourse, global uncertainty abroad, and challenging economic times creating a fatigued American population. On the dawn of America’s 250th birthday, this national boost is a welcome recalibration to remind Americans of the promise and hope of the United States. America 250 is not a veneration of any one person, political party, or ideology, rather, it is a celebration of the founding and existence of the United States and the promise guaranteed in the Constitution, that all people are created equal with certain unalienable rights endowed to them by their creator.
As Riverside did in 1976, another grand American celebration is planned for 2026. This summer will be the highlight of the commemoration. Beginning in May, Downtown Riverside’s most iconic buildings, including City Hall, Municipal Auditorium, The Cheech, and the Main Library will have nightly illumination displaying red, white, and blue across the towering structures. The illumination display will run through Labor Day.
Riverside’s two annual July 4th fireworks spectacular are returning to La Sierra Park and Mount Rubidoux with extended shows and programming leading up to the big day. The best view of the Mount Rubidoux firework show can be seen from Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery, a park-like setting that is also the final resting place of Riverside’s founders. A patriotic concert in Fairmount Park on July 1 will feature a drone show and the beloved annual Concert for Heroes at Riverside National Cemetery’s lake will play iconic tunes of the United States on Independence Day Eve, July 3.
Visual décor and patriotic adornments will line Riverside’s streets with major roads in each of the city’s seven wards flanked by American flags, an American 250 mural on the Main Street Pedestrian Mall at 3653 Main Street, and 250 new trees planted across Riverside, one marking each year of the nation’s existence.
The entry portion of Fairmount Park’s Rose Garden will be a dedicated America 250 Rose Garden in honor of a previous garden on the grounds of the former Main Library. Set to be dedicated in December 2026, flagpoles and interpretive signage will explain the significance of honoring such a milestone.
Museum displays will highlight Americana artifacts at the Heritage House and Mission Inn Foundation’s gallery. “Riverside: An All-American City – A Celebration of America 250” will exhibit at the Mission Inn Foundation gallery at 3598 Main Street showcasing artifacts such as a handbell of Paul Revere, items that adorned city streets to honor the local heroes of the Civil War, and mementos from the Mission Inn’s numerous presidential visits. At the Heritage House at 8193 Magnolia Avenue, an American Bicentennial quilt will be displayed.
As evidenced, much is taking place locally to make it known that Riverside is committed to keeping the ideals of America’s founding fathers, and mothers, alive. This semiquincentennial year, as Riversiders come together to volunteer, learn, and recommit to the beliefs of liberty and justice for all, the vision of John Adams lives on, a city marking a special day with pomp, parade, and most importantly, community.
Learn more at RiversideCA.gov/America250.
RIVERSIDE Celebrates America 250 events
Greatest American Cleanup
April 25, 2026 • 9 – 11:30 a.m.
Various Cleanup Locations
Riverside Concert Band’s 150th Anniversary Festival
April 25, 2026 • 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fairmount Park
Riverside: An All-American City –
America 250 Museum Exhibit
May 1, 2026 – August 3, 2026 • 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Mission Inn Foundation Gallery
Memorial Day Ceremony
May 23, 2026 • 11 a.m.
Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery
Memorial Day Ceremony
May 26, 2026 • 11 a.m.
Orange Terrace Community Center
Local Vibes Concerts in the Park & Drone Show
June 17, 2026 • 6 – 9 p.m.
La Sierra Park
Patriotic Concert & Drone Show
July 1, 2026 • 6 – 8 p.m.
Fairmount Park Bandshell
Concert for Heroes
July 3, 2026 • 7 – 9:30 p.m.
Riverside National Cemetery
Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular
July 4, 2026 • 6 – 10 p.m. (Fireworks at 9 p.m.)
La Sierra Park
Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular
July 4, 2026 • 6 – 10 p.m. (Fireworks at 9 p.m.)
Mount Rubidoux
Front Row Fireworks Viewing Party
July 4, 2026 • 5 – 9:30 p.m.
Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery
For more information and a list of additional Riverside Celebrates America 250 events, visit RiversideCA.gov or visitriverside.com/america-250/
