This year marks America’s 250th birthday — the Semiquincentennial — and we have a chance to show our kids what real community pride and patriotism look like.

Are you old enough to remember 1976? Flags waving on nearly every house, red, white, and blue everywhere you looked, even a car painted like the American flag. Towns glowed with love for our country. Let’s bring that magic back for our littles — so they can grow up knowing what it feels like to celebrate America with joy and unity.

This is our call to action:

If you live in Geneseo, Atkinson, or the surrounding area, if you own a home, rent a house, run a business, have a farm field, or have a front yard — decorate it!

Hang the Stars and Stripes
Put out red, white, and blue lights, banners, bows, and flowers
Get creative — bunting, yard signs, window decals, even a festive mailbox!
Bonus points if you go all out as our neighbors did in ’76

We want our kids driving through town on the 4th to say, “Wow… look at all the flags!” Let’s fill Geneseo with color, pride, and patriotism so strong they’ll remember it for the rest of their lives.

We may not have official decorating contests or big events from the Chamber this year, but we don’t need permission to show up for our country. This is something every single one of us can do — together.

Start decorating this weekend. Take pictures. Share them with the hashtag #Geneseo250 or #GeneseoProud. Let’s flood our town with red, white, and blue and give our children a memory worth keeping.

Let’s make Geneseo shine brighter than ever this Independence Day.

God Bless America — and God Bless Geneseo!

- Brandy Stockton