A time capsule wall, a scavenger hunt across the city, and a history walk on the 1777 Peekskill Raid are among a series of city-wide programs the City of Peekskill is considering holding in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Jonathan Zamora, site manager and director of Community Hub, presented to the Common Council an outline and framework of events from January to December to celebrate the founding of the nation. 

“We find ourselves in a unique historical moment to educate and celebrate the semiquincentennial, the founding of our nation, the 250th anniversary of the country, and to highlight Peekskill’s historical contributions to that role,” Zamora said at the Committee of the Whole meeting.

The proposed events, not finalized and subject to change, include a clothing drive with a goal of 250 items donated, a “Heroes of Peekskill” poster series featuring veterans, first responders, longtime civic leaders, and a city-wide tag sale entitled “America’s Attic” driven by the Recreation Department.

An event that would take place in October envisions a scavenger hunt across 10 landmarks with QR code clues that link to a website the city is working on for its marketing and tourism initiative.

Another event, proposed for March 23, is titled “Fort Hill Walk & Talk,” commemorating the 1777 Peekskill raid with a 30-minute guided walk and a reading of a short script entitled “What Happened Here.”’

An “Eve of 250” event on July 3 aims to have a short outdoor program, a reading of the Declaration excerpt, and local youth choir groups and bands, a 13-minute “silent gratitude” (in tribute to the 13 original colonies), followed by a movie screening in Pugsley Park.

For the 4th of July celebration, community members can expect the annual fireworks display and Independence Day Parade . In addition, several community events are proposed, including a “250 family photo booth” backdrop, a “I Pledged 250 Minutes” volunteer signup table, and a gratitude wall encouraging residents and visitors to write a thank you message to someone who’s helped them in the past.

A full list of the proposed events can be viewed in the gallery below…

Several Common Council members reacted to the ideas positively. City of Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie said the country is currently in a tough time and thanked Zamora for focusing on community-based initiatives, so “it’s about Peekskill versus it being about America in general.”

“We want to celebrate people who are here, but this may be tough for some people,” McKenzie said. “And so let’s be conscious of that as we look at this, and let’s make this a community oriented type of event so that we’re making sure that we’re uplifting the people of Peekskill.”

The city is reaching out to stakeholders to get their feedback and input, including the Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID), Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, Peekskill City School District, Peekskill Museum, The Field Library, and various community partners.

Councilman Brian Fassett praised the presentation and requested that more information be put out to the community to ensure community members are engaged in the process.

“I think this is an amazing outline to get us through the year, and I think it touches a lot of segments of Peekskill in really positive ways,” Fassett said. “I’m very excited about it but looking for a lot of community input to help us achieve these goals.”