Berks County officials and members of the America250PA Berks committee gathered Thursday at the County Services Center to raise the official America250PA Berks flag, marking the lead-up to the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The ceremony, held at 12:45 p.m., included county staff, committee members, and children of employees participating in Take Your Child to Work Day. Two of those participants, Skarlytt Kupper and Grayson Straub, assisted by holding the flag prior to its raising.
Berks County Commissioner Chairman Christian Y. Leinbach said the county has played a leading role in preparing for the milestone anniversary.
“2026 is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” Leinbach said. “It’s important to know that Berks County was not only the first county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to sign a resolution and start a committee for the celebration. We were the first in the United States.”
Leinbach noted that the county partnered with America250PA, a statewide organization that designed the commemorative flag, and said the raising of the flag is part of ongoing efforts to highlight the upcoming anniversary.
Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr. reflected on past national celebrations and the significance of the upcoming milestone.
“2026 is a big year,” Santoni said. “Some of us are old enough to remember the 200th, the 1976 bicentennial. And for the 300th, all these young people here are going to have to take the lead because we’re not going to be here for that one.”
Santoni also pointed to events planned across Pennsylvania, including in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, while emphasizing that local celebrations in Berks County will also play a key role.
Vice Chairman Michael S. Rivera highlighted the historical connection between the ceremony and Berks County’s role during the American Revolution.
“Almost 250 years ago, on July the 8th, the people from Berks County were called to the courthouse,” Rivera said. “So it’s extremely important for me to be able to do this here in a remembrance of that, of what happened 250 years ago right here or a similar place in front of the county courthouse here in Berks County.”
The flag-raising ceremony is one of several initiatives planned locally as Berks County joins statewide and national efforts to commemorate the semiquincentennial of the United States.