America 250 Picnic, Celebration and Independence Day Concert

America turns 250 on Saturday, July 4, and the site of America’s first presidential library has a day full of old-fashioned events and its annual Independence Day Concert to celebrate. Enjoy a day of nostalgic fun with a picnic or food truck fare; the concert performed by the Toledo Concert Band, featuring members of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra; deeply discounted admission of $2.50 for a site pass to tour the Hayes Home and museum; games and crafts; historical talks and more. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for self-guided tours. Hayes Home tours begin at 9:30 a.m., will last a half hour and cover the first floor of the home only. The tours will include information about President Rutherford B. Hayes’ ancestors and their ties to colonial and Revolutionary War era history. The $2.50 site passes include admission to the museum and a timed Hayes Home tour. Tickets are available at https://www.rbhayes.org/events/2026/07/04/events/independence-day-concert-and-america-250-events-and-picnic/. The rest will be sold to walk-ins the day of the event.Those who wish to tour just the home or museum can choose to do just one, but the price is still $2.50. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums members are admitted for free. All visitors touring the Hayes Home, including advance ticket holders, must check in at the museum front desk. Special America 250 events are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hayes Presidential is one of America 250-Ohio’s picnic sites, and guests are invited to bring a picnic or purchase food from one of the food trucks that will be on site to enjoy on the grounds. Food trucks are Jimmy G’s barbecue, Frozen Paradice, Tim’s Bar and Grill Food Trailer and the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor Traveling Root Beer Stand. The USS Spiegel Grove Association, whose members are U.S. Navy sailors who served aboard the ship “USS Spiegel Grove,” will also dedicate a new exhibit area for the ship’s bell, which is currently on display in the museum Weapons Room. The ship was purposely sunk off Florida to create an artificial reef. The association has been raising money to create a base for the bell, which sits on the floor in the weapons room. That base and two plaques will be dedicated at noon in the museum. The day’s events will culminate with the annual Independence Day Concert, performed by the Toledo Concert Band from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the verandah of the Historic Hayes Home. In a Fourth of July tradition, the “1812 Overture” will be punctuated with cannon fire. Bring a chair or blanket for seating on the spacious Hayes Home lawn. Admission to the picnic, games, talks and concert is free. The concert is sponsored by Crown Battery Mfg. Co., Hal & Diane Hawk and the Ohio Arts Council. Partial funding for America 250 events is by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law. Parking is on-site weather permitting. Overflow parking is available on the street and in ProMedica Memorial Hospital’s parking lots at Buildings A and B, located at 605 Third Ave. Spiegel Grove is a short walk to the east of the hospital parking lots. A golf cart will be available to shuttle people around Spiegel Grove. The full schedule of events is available at https://www.rbhayes.org/events/2026/07/04/events/independence-day-concert-and-america-250-events-and-picnic/. Admission: Events on the grounds are free. Museum/home admission and programs inside the museum are 2.50 total.