Philadelphia Gears Up for America’s 250th Birthday Celebration in 2026

The City of Brotherly Love is preparing to celebrate the semiquincentennial (250th birthday) of the United States of America in 2026. From special programs and tours to exhibitions, Philadelphia is inviting the public to celebrate and explore our nation's history.

Some of the most historically significant objects related to the nation's founding reside in Philadelphia. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania granted CBS News Philadelphia a rare look at some of its most precious treasures, including a version of the Declaration of Independence as it existed "probably a day or two before it's finalized," according to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Librarian and CEO David Brigham. One outstanding feature of the document is the printing, which features notations from Thomas Jefferson that included quotation marks around the phrase "all men are created equal." Brigham noted this quoted phrase meant Jefferson intended to "lean into those words" as he read the document aloud.

Additional items from the historical society's collection that it will exhibit in 2026 include handwritten letters from George Washington during the American Revolution and the first draft of the U.S. Constitution.

Visit Philadelphia, the city's official destination marketing organization, has already begun assembling event information and visitation resources. Several special events coming in 2026 include the Red, White, & Blue To-Do, Mural Arts Philadelphia's Printmaking for the People, and ArtPhilly's What Now. These events will encourage residents and visitors to Philadelphia to celebrate and reflect on our nation's past, present, and future.

Brigham hopes that the 250th anniversary year will encourage people to engage with our nation's collective history. "Understanding the past, analyzing the past, helps us think about where we're going and how we're going to get there," he said.

What in the world is "junk journaling"?

You may have seen this term floating around on social media. It sounds a bit ambiguous and maybe even crazy. So, I am here to tell you all about junk journaling. What it is, how to do it, and some ideas of what to include.

This is something I've recently picked up and I've found it's really been a great creative outlet. It is a no-pressure way to fill up a journal and express yourself. There is no writing required, although you can write a bit if you'd like. It's focused more on visuals, recycling, and a challenge to make something out of nothing.

It's an edgier way to scrapbook, essentially. Junk journals are messy on purpose, filled with things that inspire you personally. Or things you come across in day-to-day life.

It is fun to express yourself or your thoughts using bits and pieces from your life, AKA "junk", and a journal. Blank page intimidation no more! These journals are easy to fill with all kinds of things. Make it pretty or not. Just let your freak flag fly.

Junk journaling is the practice of using daily items or "junk" to fill a notebook or journal. You use recycled items such as paper or clippings from magazines, brochures, music sheets, envelopes, packaging, brown paper bags, maps, greeting cards, and postcards, to name a few. The book covers can be made from cereal boxes, old book covers, or any hard cardboard.

It's quite simple, actually. Get a notebook of your choosing, an adhesive of your choosing (such as glue or tape), and some scraps. To help a blank page not feel so overwhelming, use a big piece as a background. For example, if you look at the image above, I started a page using a large piece of a restaurant paper bag. I will then add over top of it with other small pieces of my day.

Here you can see a photo of my own personal junk journal. As you can see, it looks messy. That is on purpose! I used a candy wrapper, a note from a friend, and one of those plastic bags dentists give you with toothpaste and a toothbrush in them on this page. As you can see, nothing goes together, but it looks fun.

Think of junk journaling as collage-making or scrapbooking. Except, it doesn't have to look a certain way. It's a way to memorialize the day you lived without having to write about it. I can look back on this page and remember that on February 5, I got a note, ate some candy, and went to the dentist. See what I mean?