August 25, 2026. 6:00 -7:30 PM
Eastern High School, New Pekin Indiana
Join Indiana Humanities, the Pekin Community Betterment Organization, and the John Hay Center for a premiere screening of The Fourth of July in Pekin, IN, a new short documentary about Pekin’s annual celebration. The documentary, directed by local filmmaker Erik Thein, captures the spirit of Pekin’s Fourth of July festivities, a yearly tradition where generations of Pekin residents have come together to make the celebration the oldest consecutively-celebrated Fourth of July festival in the nation.
After the screening, there will be a brief Q&A with the filmmakers and with community members who have had a hand in organizing the festival. There will also be opportunities to share your own Fourth of July memories and feedback about the film as the filmmakers work to develop what they’ve captured into a full-length documentary.
This event is free and open to the public, though registration is appreciated. Light refreshments will be served.
This program is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
