As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, states including Arizona are rolling out their own celebrations: A large semitruck carrying a traveling museum will be pulling up to all 15 counties.
One of its stops was the Glendale Public Library.
In a room-like structure on the back of a semi is an exhibit of panels and video — with one side dedicated to important American moments in history, and the other side dedicated to Arizona history. In the middle, sits a large replica Liberty Bell usually only seen in front of the Arizona Capitol.
Laura Terech heads the Arizona America 250 Commission.
“So if you are not able to get to the Capitol to see the bell this is your chance; it’s coming to you," Terech said.
The commission, with the help of some sponsors, created the traveling museum.
At the Glendale stop, the the traveling museum was surrounded by other festivities, from food to musicians to a scavenger hunt. Even the local peacocks were around.
Here's Dawn Ferro with the city of Glendale.
“And [the museum] does touch on everything, from military D-Day landing, movements in history like women’s suffrage, local agriculture, Indigenous, the innovation over time, space," Ferro said.
Terech says some of the Arizona specific panels highlight some of the state’s biggest historical figures, such as Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Sen. John McCain.
“We don’t have the same kind of Revolutionary history as a New York or a Pennsylvania but that doesn’t mean we were not making history here 250 years ago and beyond," Terech said. "So it was especially important to us to honor the current, present, future past of indigenous history since that’s such an important part of our state.”
The exhibit visits Yuma, Phoenix, Mesa and Florence through Sunday, with many more stops through April.
"I just want to let everyone know, as soon as I saw a picture of the newly retrofitted vehicle I was a little concerned because it has four steps. But it is fully ADA accessible," Ferro said.
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