NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced plans for Tennessee’s 2026 Statehood Day Celebration, which will include free public events at the Tennessee State Library & Archives.
The celebration will mark Tennessee’s 230th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary.
“This year’s Tennessee Statehood Day celebration is both special and historic as we celebrate America’s 250 years as a country and Tennessee’s vital and numerous contributions in helping to shape the path of the United States of America,” Hargett said. “We hope Tennesseans will join us in celebrating our state’s rich history, which will be on display at the Library & Archives.”
Events begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at the Tennessee State Library & Archives in Nashville. Organizers said the family-friendly activities will include story time, crafts, musical performances, living history interpreters, an instrument petting zoo, behind-the-scenes tours and displays from the archives’ collections.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol Honor Guard will present and guard Tennessee’s three original constitutions during an opening ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m. The ETSU Old-Time Ramblers will perform the national anthem.
“We hope families across Tennessee will join us for this historic celebration at the Library & Archives,” Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist Jamie Ritter said. “This is an opportunity to learn more about the Library & Archives and to experience and understand Tennessee’s history in an interactive and fun way.”
As part of the extended celebration, the Library & Archives will also host a free Brown Bag Lunch lecture on Monday, June 1, featuring Tennessee State Historian Carroll Van West. The program will explore Tennessee’s history and its role in the broader American story.
The events will take place at the Tennessee State Library & Archives building at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N., near Bicentennial Mall State Park in Nashville.
More information is available here.
As we honor those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice, it is also heartening to see the military right a wrong. Chris Davis brings us the moving story of a Purple Heart ceremony two decades in the making. It's worth a watch.
A heartfelt thanks to all who bravely serve.
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