Spier Spencer DAR to host free America250 salute at Lincoln Amphitheater

The Spier Spencer Chapter, Inc., of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will host “A Salute to America250” Friday, June 27, at 5:30 p.m. Central at Lincoln Amphitheatre, and the program is free with no tickets required. In Dubois County, that makes the event more than a patriotic gathering: it is one of the clearest public signs that the county’s America250 effort is moving from planning into visible civic programming.

The state event listing says the program will include a patriotic ceremony and a choral music concert, along with the debut of a commissioned America 250 song. Scheduled participants include the Celebration Singers, the Southwest Indiana Cantata Choir, 8th District U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer and a Lincoln impersonator. Set in Lincoln Amphitheatre at Lincoln State Park, the evening leans into the county’s most recognizable historical backdrop, a site the state describes as the boyhood-home setting of Abraham Lincoln.

That setting matters because America250 in Indiana is being organized as a multi-year public project, not a one-night observance. The Indiana Semiquincentennial Commission says the effort runs through 2026 and is meant to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Indiana. The commission, created in March 2022 through Senate Bill 12, says its vision includes renewing patriotism, honoring diversity and strengthening service to community, state and country. In Dubois County, the historical society has been named the county connect leader for communication with the state commission, while the Dubois County America 250 Committee has been meeting to coordinate local activities.

The free admission gives the program a broad reach in a county where history groups and civic organizers have tried to make America250 feel local rather than ceremonial. Lincoln Amphitheatre is celebrating 38 years in 2026, and the venue’s location in Lincoln State Park links the anniversary program to one of Dubois County’s most visible heritage destinations. The Spier Spencer Chapter has already used the America250 moment to push deeper into public history, sponsoring a genealogy workshop at Lincoln Heritage Public Library on May 18. Together, those efforts suggest Friday’s event is part of a larger countywide push to use the nation’s semiquincentennial to build participation, strengthen historical identity and connect residents to the county’s Lincoln-centered story.