Semiquincentennial: Learn to say this tongue-twister

Whew!As you read this, we will have just turned (or clicked onto) the February calendar page. Hopefully, we no longer mistakenly date anything 2025. If making New Year's resolutions and disappointing ourselves by breaking them so soon caused stress, we have had the opportunity to turn that page, too. Everybody needs something positive to anticipate. For us 2026 is the very time for much celebrating as a country and as a town! With the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the United States of America turns 250 years old this year. It is our semiquincentennial (I did a double take too). As in life, a challenge can sometimes be best met by breaking it down. Think semi-quin-centennial. Let's look forward to hearing it many times as we move through opportunities to learn, celebrate and appreciate our history. Just as our ancestors did not just wake up one day and form a new nation, none among us should think they can fully comprehend this blessing by declaring an observance. You may have already heard or read about America 250 events planned or having been held leading up to July 4, 2026. For me the Ken Burns documentary miniseries, "The American Revolution," was spot-on before I was familiar with the term "semiquincentennial." I don't know of its being an official America 250 event; but, thanks to PBS we had an opportunity to watch what I know only to call a Ken-Burns-level quality presentation of events leading up to that war, the war itself and aftermath. The series of episodes broke down events into more easily digested segments. Each left me wanting to see the next. Thankfully, each of us benefits from the sacrifices made. Hopefully, this year will leave us more thankful and more hopeful. Fast forward to 1876 for the founding of the Town of Erwin. What a time that must have been! Just as our nation's history, our town's includes scenes that once seen cannot be unseen by the mind's eye. However, we are not about rewriting history – we are about learning from it. This small mountain town has many stories to tell. Triumph of the human spirit is alive and well to shine through events celebrating its 150 years. The Erwin Record plans to produce special sections during 2026 with thoughts of dividing the 150 years into 50-year segments. Makes sense to me, and it's bound to be interesting reading. I hope there are pictures galore! It's in the conceptual stages, so stay tuned. By the way, this newspaper's 100th anniversary is coming up in 2028. Hopefully, we will read about its beginnings in coverage of the town's history to whet our appetite for another celebration two years down the pike! All this takes me down memory lane with thoughts of some of my own columns. In one I shared a story that gave me a new perspective on the American Revolution when I saw the marker honoring the service of one of my relatives. It is in a small hilltop graveyard in Bee Log, North Carolina. Moving on to Erwin history, I had realized the A. R. Brown house on Main and the man for whom it is named were prominent in our rich history. But not in the way I came to after Twerpy Brown Stromberg opened the door to the home and her family memories. For another column, Hilda Rucker shared memories of being a 6-year-old in the 1920s, riding in the general manager's car on a steam-powered Clinchfield Railroad train. And, what about a Blue Ridge pottery (produced here 1917-1957) "victory" message during World War II? I learned I had a piece in that pattern! These are not all the topics I had noted to share. But, you get the idea. Whether we are looking back to celebrate wonderful surprises, or sincerely trying to learn from times that were painful, it can all be meaningful. It is up to us to see that it is. ••• Connie Denney and her husband are longtime Erwin residents. She is also a former vice mayor of Erwin. She writes a column, "A Denney for Your Thoughts," for the weekly newspaper The Erwin Record.