Erin Estes, with daughter Elizabeth, and son Jackson, cooled off inside the Kemper mansion where they sampled chocolates made with recipes from the 1750s. The candy was provided at Thursday’s Madison County Celebrates America;s 250th on the library lawn and adjacent properties in downtown Madison. The Montpelier Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution provided the delicacies. Erin hails from Etlan and now lives with her family in Goodyear, Arizona. PJR photo by Chuck Jackson.
Madison County used its July 2 commemoration of American independence to launch a broader message: the county’s 250th celebration is not a one-day ceremony, but a yearlong effort built around local pride, history and community service.
At the local observance held on the county library lawn with students’ artwork at the library, and Madison County Quilt Guild patriotic quilts and Monpelier DAR chocolate at the Kemper Mansion museum next door, county leaders and community performers tied the nation’s founding to Madison’s own civic identity, urging residents to carry the celebration into upcoming parades, fairs and public events…