Official kickoff celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States will be held Thursday in Carbon and Schuylkill counties.

The America250PA Schuylkill County kickoff will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. from the Schuylkill County commissioners boardroom at the Schuylkill County Courthouse, 401 N. Second St., Pottsville. Light refreshments will be provided.

For Carbon County, the kickoff will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. from Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall, 115 E. 10th St., Jim Thorpe.

Both events were rescheduled from earlier this month, due to inclement weather.

The events launch a year of historic programming, cultural showcases and community engagement across Pennsylvania. America250PA seeks to engage Pennsylvanians in all 67 counties in preserving and Pennsylvania’s rich history and culture through programs, projects and events.

When America250PA launched, one of its goals was to place saplings from the last remaining Liberty Tree in each of the commonwealth’s counties.

The saplings are part of its Liberty Tree project, and several were planted in 2025. Tamaqua was selected as Schuylkill County’s recipient, and created Liberty Park to serve as the home of the Liberty Tree, which was planted in September.

Carbon County’s tree was planted in Weissport Park in Weissport.

Across the region, Monroe County put its sapling at the Old Mill in Stroudsburg. The Colonial Industrial Quarter in Bethlehem was chosen as Northampton County’s site, and the George Taylor House in Catasauqua hosts Lehigh County’s tree.

The Sons of Liberty often convened under the nation’s original Liberty Tree in Boston during the American Revolutionary War. When that tree was destroyed by the British, new Liberty trees were designated. The last known original Liberty Tree was on the campus of Saint John’s College in Maryland, and seedlings from that tree that are being planted.

Also, the “Bells Across PA” initiative places 3-foot fiberglass bells in counties. A bell depicting Carbon County history was placed in Weissport Park in October.

Students in Kim Woodward’s art classes at the Tamaqua Area Middle School are working on a bell that will placed in Liberty Park.