Parades, Picnics, & Pageants: South Dakota Celebrates Exhibit

July 4, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Communities throughout America are planning large, patriotic celebrations in anticipation of this milestone. 

The Fourth of July isn’t the only holiday we commemorate with pageantry. Jubilees, centennials, and bicentennials are a few significant milestone anniversaries. States often celebrate anniversaries of their admittance into the union; towns and cities celebrate similar milestones of their observed founding. Parades, pageants, picnics, and fireworks often accompany these occasions. How does your community celebrate these anniversaries? How do you celebrate?

The latest exhibit at the Old Courthouse Museum, Parades, Picnics, and Pageants: South Dakota Celebrates, looks at the many ways people have celebrated these past anniversaries. Perhaps you remember or attended some of these celebrations! 

Admission is free.