Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to do some work for Exeter’s Cassandra Coleman and the America250PA campaign she heads as the executive director.
For those of you who don’t know what America250PA is, it’s a part of the national effort to recognize and plan the 250th anniversary of the United States on the Fourth of July, 2026.
According to its website, “The Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial (America250PA) was established by the legislature and Governor in 2018 to plan, encourage, develop and coordinate the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, Pennsylvania’s integral role in that event, and the impact of its people on the nation’s past, present, and future.”
As part of the initiative, Cassandra has assembled a team to assist in traveling throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to do what was described in the previous paragraph.
The description continues, “America250PA hopes to engage all citizens of the Commonwealth, from all 67 counties, bring the Commonwealth’s history into the conversation so Pennsylvanians can better understand the origins and multiple perspectives of issues facing our Commonwealth and nation today, use history to encourage and inspire future leaders, celebrate the contributions of Pennsylvanians to our Commonwealth’s history but also to our Nation’s history, leave a lasting impact on the next generation and to spark an interest in which will ignite the drive for them to appreciate all the triumphs, trials and tribulations to which contributed to the Commonwealth for which they are now writing their own history.”
One of the things America250PA does is visit elementary schools around the state to read to students about Pennsylvania. Usually, area mascots from a college team or a local professional team will also be on hand for the students.
A handful of guest speakers, such as local government officials, radio or TV personalities, or even members of law enforcement like the PA State Police, will take part.
Another nice touch to each school visit will include a historical reenactor. This past week, I shot photos for Cassandra at Bloomsburg, where a lovely and entertaining woman portrayed Betsy Ross.
You can teach an old dog a new trick, and I was the old dog when she gave her presentation. I learned things about Betsy that I did not know, and I truly found her interesting. She explained how the American flag story developed and the series of flags used before the final one was accepted.
The children are also given backpacks with gift items, courtesy of America250PA.
It’s really a nice thing, and the children get to learn about PA and some valuable history, along with being educated on the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.
A few weekends ago, Cassandra asked me to shoot an America250 national convention hosted by AmericaPA250 in Philadelphia.
It was an exhaustive two-day schedule, and I took nearly 4,000 photos.
I also had a chance to chat with former PA Gov. Tom Wolf as well as PA Sen. Bob Casey. What I failed to do was get a photo of myself with the two gentlemen. We all are prostate cancer survivors.
The semiquincentennial — and that’s a mouthful — is less than two years away, and I’m sure I’ll have other opportunities to photograph future events.
One such event coming up is the placing of a bronze Semiquincentennial Bell in Hawley to commemorate the 250th anniversary. The bell is the approximate size of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Several such bells will be placed around the Commonwealth in the next two years. The first was placed at the Dennis Farm at Susquehanna County. The Dennis Farm is a 200-plus-year-old farm, originally settled by free African Americans who moved to northeastern Pennsylvania from Connecticut after the Revolutionary War and continuously in the stewardship of their descendants, represents an overlooked and remarkable story in American history.
I had the honor of covering that event. The Dennis Farm and the upcoming bell presentation at the Hawley Silk Mill are the only two that will be placed in NEPA.
The Hawley Bell ceremony will be held this fall. The Silk Mill is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
I look forward to that ceremony and working with Cassandra and her team again.
Cassandra has been in public service since she was 18 years old, and she was named the Mayor of Exeter after her grandfather, Mayor Joseph Coyne, passed away.
Being mayor just ignited Cassandra into public service.
Majoring in Political Science at King’s College, graduating in 2010, she has been moving up the political ladder.
She has served as legislative assistant at the PA House of Representatives, served Sen. Bob Casey as a deputy financial director, and became both a director, N.E./Central PA Regional Office under Gov. Tom Wolf before becoming a special advisory/America250PA.
She assumed the executive directorship for America250PA in Sept. 2019 and will see the program come to fruition to July 4, 2026.
In between everything going on she managed to create Cassandra Coleman & Associates, a fundraising agency for political campaigns.
At the age of 36, Cassandra has many accomplishments; I can’t wait to see the next chapter.
Quote of the Week
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.” – Reba MacEntire
Thought of the Week
“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington
Bumper Sticker
“You do not find the happy life. You make it.” – Camilla Eyring Kimball