Holiday bells will soon be ringing in Monroe County and throughout the country, but these sounds will have nothing to do with Christmas.

On Jan. 1, Monroe County and its municipalities will join in the celebration of Illinois America 250, a statewide campaign to celebrate a milestone year as it concerns the United States’  independence.

A 250th anniversary is called a semiquincentennial, also known as a sestercentennial, bisesquicentennial or the Quarter Millennium – especially when referring to the upcoming U.S. anniversary in 2026.

The party kicks off locally at noon on New Year’s Day, with events planned in Waterloo, Columbia, Valmeyer, Hecker and Maeystown.

During Monday morning’s Monroe County Board Meeting, Commissioner Vicki Koerber described the first of many events in honor of the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

In a joint effort between Monroe County and the City of Waterloo, a program will begin at the Monroe County Courthouse Bandstand at noon Jan. 1, culminating with the ringing of an America 250 bell recently purchased by the county. 

Koerber noted the celebration will be in the same spot in which President Abraham Lincoln spoke while a member of the Illinois legislature.

The ringing of that bell at the Monroe County Courthouse Bandstand will be echoed by the ringing of commemorative, handheld bells to be distributed to attendees as well as the bells of various churches throughout Waterloo.

“This celebration is an opportunity for our community to come together, recognize our shared history, and set the tone for a year filled with America 250 events,” said Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter. “We’re proud to join cities and towns across the nation in ringing in this historic milestone.”

Similar celebrations are being held in cities and villages throughout the county and state. 

On Tuesday, Valmeyer Village Board Administrator Dennis Knobloch noted 250 bells will be given to celebrants attending the New Year’s Day event to be held in the village center along Knobloch Boulevard.

Knobloch was previously involved with planning events in Valmeyer during the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial. He was also instrumental in the Monroe County Bicentennial celebrations in 2016.

In Columbia and Maeystown, commemorations will be held at the city and village halls, respectively, with Hecker Community Center also hosting an America 250 celebration Jan. 1.

The commemorative bells will be available in limited qualities at those sites, as well.

The New Year’s celebration will be the first of many semiquincentennial events, with the county and its municipalities working to coordinate July 4 activities which are expected to be the apex of local festivities, coinciding with the birth date of the county.

Koerber also noted the courthouse will begin flying the official America 250 flag at the start of the new year.

Local Boy Scouts will raise the flag during the Jan. 1 ceremony.  

The flag is reminiscent of the original American flag designed by Betsy Ross, featuring the traditional red and white stripes and 13 stars arranged in a circle on top of a blue field, but “250” included in white in the center of the stars. 

Currently, Illinois students in grades K-12, are invited to participate in an art contest sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The theme is “America 250 – Reflections Through Art.” Entries must be postmarked by this Friday, Dec. 19, to be eligible for judging.

Learn more by visiting presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/education/junior-historians/art-contest.