Hunt Country Celebrations for America’s 250th
Written by Emerson Leger | Photo by Tony Gibson
This Fourth of July marks 250 years since our country declared independence. Many different celebrations and events are taking place in Virginia, a place that greatly influenced the revolution and our country. From honoring our cherished flag and festive firework displays to acknowledging all those who helped build our country, Hunt Country has something for everyone this year.
Art of the Flag
Artist Matt Pavone will host a discussion on July 4 at the Artists in Middleburg gallery. During the all-day event, he will lead a discussion while painting a flag called the Grand Union, the first flag that the Continental Congress established as a precursor to the Declaration of Independence.
Pavone says that his admiration of the American flag goes back to his childhood in New Jersey, home to many World War II veterans.
When asked what he hopes attendees will experience, he says, “I’m hoping they can come out of it with a renewed sense of understanding of maybe how they identify with not just the symbol of the flag, but how they identify with themselves.”
Fourth of July at Great Meadow
Celebrate this milestone birthday with a regular favorite. The Fourth of July celebration at Great Meadow offers tons of fun activities perfect for the whole family. This big community festival opens at 4 p.m. and lasts until the last firework pops, around 10 p.m.
Over 30 local vendors will be there, including those selling ice cream and a variety of cuisines for any type of craving. There will also be a petting zoo, inflatable bouncy houses, sports activities, pony rides, face painting, and live music. Mike Parker, an “American Idol” contestant from Warrenton, will be featured.
“Since it’s a big year, the 250th, we are bringing back the drone show,” shares marketing specialist Veronika Zubo.
Race on down to Great Meadow with friends and families to enjoy all that’s offered.
Patriotic Art at NSLM
To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the National Sporting Library & Museum will showcase Hunt Country’s most cherished traditions in two exhibits.
The first, “America 250: Sports at the Founding,” will highlight popular country sports from the early years of our country’s establishment. On display will be artwork detailing racing, foxhunting, angling, and more. It will run until January 10, 2027.
The second exhibit, titled “Pursuits of Independence and the Natural World,” will run until December 6, 2026. It will explore how early generations understood nature and the great divide over land between America and Great Britain.
Giving Back
Birthdays are all about giving gifts, and what is a better gift than giving back to those in need. The Loudoun VA250 Committee is conducting the Breadbasket of the Revolution food drive. The event, which started in June, will run until July 4.
All items donated will benefit Loudoun Hunger Relief. Their goal is to collect 1,776 pounds of food, in honor of the year America declared independence. Donations will be accepted at six sites: the Loudoun Museum, Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, Oatlands Historic House & Gardens, Waterford Foundation, Dodona Manor, and Morven Park.
Carrie Christoffersen, executive director of the Loudoun Museum, says she suggested it to the committee and everyone was on board. This is the organization’s first food drive.
“We think about food drives around Thanksgiving, around the winter holidays, and less often in the summer,” she says. “It’s great to have something that is happening at a different time of year.”
“Life, Liberty, and Loudoun” at the Loudoun Museum
The Loudoun Museum is hosting a “Life, Liberty, and Loudoun” exhibit. It will explore different perspectives of those residing in Loudoun County during the American Revolution.
Loudoun County during that time was home to diverse groups, from statesmen to farmers, women, enslaved and free Black people, and soldiers. This collective of stories is free to the public and will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For those interested in more revolutionary stories of the county during that era, check out what else the museum is hosting on its website, loudounmuseum.org.
Seeing Our Humanity at Oatlands
On July 25 from 1 to 4 p.m., join Oatlands for an event called Seeing our Humanity. In Virginia, there are four National Trust Historic Sites that served as sites of enslavement, Oatlands being one of them. This event will recognize the descendants from those who were enslaved in honor of America’s historic birthday and those who helped build this country.
Dr. Margaret Salazar-Porzio, executive director at Oatlands, says this event will explore the full American story. It will bring together both descendants and scholars, and community members, to learn and reflect, including Academy Award-nominated actor and humanitarian Djimon Hounsou.
“My hope is that visitors leave with a deeper appreciation for the resilience and humanity of those who came before us, a greater understanding of how the past continues to shape the present, and a renewed sense of the ideals of liberty and justice that continue to unite us as Americans,” Salazar-Porzio says. ML
Published in the July 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.