Mayor names members of city commission for 250th US anniversary

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley has appointed a city commission to plan events for the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The ad hoc commission will comprise 14 members, including residents, nonprofit leaders and city, county and state officials, who will begin planning celebrations ahead of the milestone on July 4, 2026.

The committee members are: Julia Rose and Joann Vaugh, representing Annapolis residents; Ward 2 Alderwoman

Karma O’Neill, representing the mayor’s office; Kristen Pironis executive director of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County; Karen Brown president and CEO of Historic Annapolis; Martina Dodd, curator of collections and exhibitions at Banneker-Douglass Museum; Steve Adams, marketing and outreach manager for Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp.; Katie McDermott,a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Kim Golder, Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission member; Carol Benson, executive director of Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area (formerly known as Four Rivers); Judy Buddensick, founder of Frances Marketing Group; Tricia Sanborn, president and CEO of Arts Council of Anne Arundel County; Jackie Colman, executive director of Maryland Hall and Brent Everitt, director of communications and visitor experience for The National Parks Service.

In September, the City Council approved the creation of the Annapolis

U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission or “Annapolis 250 through resolution R-49-23. The commission will meet quarterly to map out a series of activities and events to commemorate the founding of the country.

The resolution lays out four duties for commission members: Develop a plan for the commemoration that aligns with the city’s “historical significance and cultural heritage;” identify and secure funding for the celebration through grants, sponsorships and donations; coordinate with state and local agencies to ensure the celebration runs smoothly; and submit a final report to the City Council three months after the final event.

Given its long history, which dates nearly 150 years before the founding of the country, Annapolis will be a “significant center of celebrations” for the anniversary, according to the resolution. The city was first settled in 1649 and charted in 1708. It briefly became the new country’s capital when the Continental Congress met from November 1783 to August 1784.

The city was part of several other key moments in early U.S. history, including the site of the first Continental Congress in 1774, the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War, and host of the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

Maryland also is planning statewide celebrations for the anniversary. The state commission is chaired by former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening and Judge Catherine Curran O’Malley.

More information about those plans can be found at MDTwoFifty.Maryland.gov.