Celebrating America

As Americans, we love to celebrate birthdays, and the United States is preparing to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4. This year’s Community Picnic will kick off the party in Lake County as residents gather to honor this historic milestone.

America 250 Community Picnic

“This is a special time for the USA, and the Lake County History Center has been planning for more than a year to host this party,” said Director Lisa Lewins. “It gives us a chance to come together and celebrate everything we love about Lake County and being Americans.”

The free community picnic will include food and beverages, music and entertainment, a petting zoo, museum tours, Pioneer Village games and re-enactors, and a patriotic and historical costume contest.

“When the USA celebrated the Bicentennial in 1976, there were a lot of families dressed up as the Ingalls family from Little House on the Prairie,” Lisa says. “We see the potential for local residents to do the same for the 250th birthday party. I hope to see everyone in costume or dressed in red, white and blue, from little infants to centenarians.”

“It’s exciting to see the creativity of local families and groups—and there will be prizes—so visit our website for all the details,” says Lisa.

The costume contest will take place in Pioneer Village at 5:30 p.m. June 14.

Educating Lake County and Northeast Ohio

The History Center serves as an educational destination for thousands of children and adults each year. At the Community Picnic, there will be tours of newly repurposed spaces in the History Center’s 33,000-square-foot museum on Riverside Drive.

“This historic brick building celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026. It was built in 1876 as the County Infirmary,” Lisa explains. “Our board, staff and volunteers have spent the past year looking at new and imaginative ways to creatively expand the use of and access to this amazing four-story building.”

The museum’s lower level has new paint and a new purpose. It now houses classroom and assembly spaces in large, sunlit rooms for educational events, such as the museum’s Native American programs. The rooms are also available for collaboration with outside groups and nonprofits.

The History Center also plans to host nighttime events for members, including History Happy Hour Bingo and Time-Travel Trivia contests with food, beverages and prizes.

Across the 8-acre campus, families, schools and groups can reserve time with re-enactors in the 1824 Pioneer Village. Local groups can also request speakers to visit their facilities, choosing from more than 40 topics offered through the Speakers’ Bureau run by Mandy Spencer, Education and Programs Coordinator.

A new museum exhibit featuring historic Painesville resident Frances Jennings Casement—who is also the 2026 bobblehead at the Lake County Fair— highlights her work from 1883 through 1920 at the local and national levels to gain women’s suffrage voting rights.

The Casement family were friends with Susan B. Anthony and hosted her visit to speak at Lake Erie College about suffrage.

Spaces for Everyone to Use and Enjoy

At the request of several community leaders such as retired elected official Dale Fellows, the History Center is opening a multimedia room where members can share and preserve their local and family history for the future. A local organization donated audio and visual recording equipment, which has been installed in a studio setting open during museum hours. 

Rental spaces for 75 to 200 guests in Heritage Hall and the Barber Event Barn, with its adjoining pavilion, are available for the general public, non-profit groups and companies.

The spaces can be used for graduations, showers, weddings, celebrations of life and meetings. Discounts are available for members and nonprofits. 

Visit LakeHistoryCenter.org for more details about availability, reservations and pricing. 

Lake County History Center

415 Riverside Drive, Painesville Township

LakeHistoryCenter.org