From now through October, events large and small will honor the semiquincentennial, including art exhibits and festivals, book clubs, history walks and lectures, music, food, parades and poetry — just to name a few.

“With over 40 collaborative events with almost all the venues in Bristol, there is something from everyone from now through October,” said Alayne White, Chair of 250.

April events include the Bristol Art Museum’s “When in the Course of Human Events…”, a national juried exhibition featuring works that reflect on the personal, political, and cultural moments that shape our collective story, open through April 10.

Working across drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, collage, mixed media, and experimental forms, 65 selected artists explore paper as both material and metaphor. From intimate personal milestones to sweeping societal shifts, this exhibit examines how artists witness, document, and commemorate human events in the contemporary world.
“Paper is fragile, but ideas are not,” said Mary Dondero, exhibit curator and Museum board member. “Through When in the Course of Human Events…, artists use paper to document injustice, express dissent, and affirm humanity while demonstrating how creative expression can respond powerfully to political and cultural upheaval.”

The exhibition was juried by Meredith Stern, an artist and printmaker whose multifaceted practice includes printmaking, zine publishing, and social action. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, RISD Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (Book Arts Collection), and the Obama Presidential Museum Collection.
Artists from across the United States are represented, featuring twenty artists from Rhode Island, whose work brings regional perspectives to broader questions of freedom and community. Together, all the participating artists present interpretations that are reflective and deeply personal.

On April 4, join a poetry workshop at the Rogers Free Library, inspired by Abigail Adams. Another workshop will be held on the 16th, this one inspired by Revolutionary-era women.

On April 16, come to Mt. Hope Farm to taste the very first batch of rum created in Bristol since the 1830's — created by O'Brien & Brough Distillery and produced entirely in Bristol.

Enjoy cocktails, cheese pairings from Wedge, two types of rum, and music by Failte. You'll also have a chance to pre-order the first batch of Bristol Rum, bottled to commemorate the 250th.

Activities on April 18 include a kids’ lecture about Ben Franklin, complete with kite-flying at Independence Park. Also on April 18, there will be an Intro to Woodworking: Making a Milk Stool at Herreshoff Marine Museum, as well as the dedication of the Lafayette Marker at Independence Park.

Coggeshall Farm will host a Muster Reenactment on April 25, and Roger Free Library will offer Revolution-themed crafts for kids on April 27. There’s lots more to come in May and beyond. For more information, visit www.explorebristolri.com/bristol250.

Volunteers needed

Looking ahead to a June event, an all-day festival, “Colonial Game Day on The Common,” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 6. This will be a fun family day where adults and children can enjoy playing or watching some of the games and sports that were popular back in colonial days. Students from Mt Hope High School looking for community service opportunities have already been signing up to volunteer but more will be needed. Organizers are looking for people to help with event planning, promotion, specific game hosting and on-site operations.

If you can see yourself participating, they would like to hear from you. Some of the games/events planned are card games (Whist and Cribbage), board games (Chess, Checkers and Nine-Men Morris), backyard games (Ninepins/Skittles, Horseshoes and croquet), open space games (foot races, hopscotch, tag and blind-mans-bluff) and demonstrations of Wrestling/Boxing and Stoolball. They are searching for anyone interested in joining these events. If so, please contact Craig Evans at bristol250games@gmail.com as soon as possible.