By Matthew Young
For HDMedia
As the nation prepares to celebrate its semiquincentennial — otherwise known as “America250,” the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — officials throughout West Virginia are joining in on the planning to commemorate the momentous occasion.
During a news conference with Gov. Patrick Morrisey Tuesday, at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby — after thanking the governor and first lady Denise Morrisey for what she referred to as their “vision” — told those in attendance, “What you’re about to hear is a legendary, larger-than-life celebration.”
“Our focus over the last year has been to create something truly memorable that’s going to leave people talking about it for decades,” Ruby noted.
‘Exciting things ahead’
“I’m thrilled to announce that from July 2 though [July 5], we’re going to be hosting a four-day, family-friendly extravaganza, right here on the grounds of this magnificent complex,” Morrisey said before thanking Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin for the city’s cooperation in planning what Morrisey called the Capital City Celebration. “We think that our capital city is really going to come alive.”
While not yet releasing the names of performers, during the celebration, Morrisey promised laughing children, live music, free rides — including the largest traveling Ferris wheel in the United States — and “exciting things ahead.”
“I’m going to try my best to get to different regions of the state over a multi-day period to make sure that all parts of the state participate in this wonderful 250th anniversary,” Morrisey said.
As part of the Capital City Celebration, officials have secured use of the “America 250 Wheel,” a 230-foot-tall Ferris wheel that offers aerial views of up to 14 miles. According to Morrisey, the Ferris wheel has the capacity to accommodate as many as 1,600 riders per hour.
All rides, games, performances and events will be free for attendees.
“We know that this is going to cost a couple million dollars,” Morrisey said in response to a question about the celebration’s cost to taxpayers. “Obviously, when you’re doing something of this magnitude, whether you’re talking about the fireworks or you’re talking about the Ferris wheel, that does cost something.”
Capital City Celebration
WHEN: July 2-5
WHERE: Capitol Complex, Charleston
COST: Free
INFO: WV250.com and america250.org
AT THE FESTIVAL:
- Bounce house and inflatables
- Live music
- Carnival games, including a Ferris wheel
- Food vendors
- Capitol tours
- Living-history performances
- Nightly Washington Monument-style 3D light show
“But I think it’s also really, really important to celebrate America’s 250th,” Morrisey added.
Charleston Sternwheel Regatta
Also scheduled for July 2-5, the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta is the city’s annual music festival that brings thousands of people to the downtown area and historically generates millions of dollars in revenue. This year’s lineup boasts performers such as Lita Ford, Bret Michaels and Wynonna Judd and is expected to feature the same carnival rides, games, food trucks and sternwheelers as it has in previous years.
Each night of the festival features a free concert from at least one national headlining act. However, the Regatta carnival rides and games are not free.
While this would seem to create competition between the Regatta and the free-of-charge Capital City Celebration, Morrisey noted that the city of Charleston has partnered with state officials on the planning of his event.
“This is going to be a complementary effort,” Morrisey said.
“We’ve been working very closely with [Goodwin] and her office, and the goal is to do this so that people can have an opportunity to participate in the Regatta, and they’ve got some wonderful music and bands,” Morrisey continued. “We’re going to have that, as well. There’s going to be a real effort to make sure that this is not in conflict with one another. That’s the goal.”
Morrisey also noted that free shuttles will be provided to transport attendees between the America 250 celebration and the Regatta.
“It’s certainly going to take a lot of coordination and communication, but big and substantial events do,” Goodwin told the Gazette-Mail Tuesday afternoon. “The good news is, the Capital City is really good at doing that. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a celebration of this magnitude, and I think it will showcase all of the things there are to do in this expansive Capital City.”
Juneteenth not mentioned
In addition to the week of festivities scheduled in July, Morrisey also announced that an America 250 Pageant will be held on June 19.
“[It’s] a beauty pageant, which you know a lot of people are really interested in,” Morrisey said. “We have a rich history in West Virginia, through our fairs and festivals, of having so many people participate in that. We know that the first 25 applications in each division are going to be free.”
When the applications are available, Morrisey said, they can be filled out by visiting wv250.com.
When announcing the pageant, Morrisey didn’t mention — and ignored a reporter’s question about — the Juneteenth federal holiday, the commemoration of the day on June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people in the United States were emancipated in Texas. There have been state-sponsored celebrations of the holiday in past years, however Morrisey did not organize any when he took office in 2025.
Morrisey’s office did not return the Gazette-Mail’s request for clarification regarding any possible Juneteenth celebration. The Gazette-Mail was unable to reach representatives from the NAACP Charleston Chapter, the ACLU of West Virginia and the West Virginia Center for African American Art & Culture for comment.
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