CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The two-year Clarksville celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, the Semiquincentennial, kicked off this week with a dramatic performance on the Mabry stage at Austin Peay State University on Wednesday.

The event featured Colonial thinkers John Adams and Mercy Otis Warren – portrayed by local actors Glen Baggett and Christine Bridwell – having a discussion about the evolution of democratic thought and how such thinking set the stage for the American Revolution.

Dr. Buzz Hoon leads the pledge of allegiance at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Prologue given by Dr. Dewey Browder and Dr. Buzz Hoon at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Dr. Richard Gildrie and Dr. Dewey Browder answer questions from the audience at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Charlie King sings the national anthem at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Christine Bridwell as Mercy Otis Warren at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
The Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
The Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Question and answer session after the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
The Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Dr. Richard Gildrie, Dr. Buzz Hoon and Dr. Dewey Brower at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Glen Baggett (John Adams) and Christine Bridwell (Marcey Otis Warren at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Donna Sabas, Rebecca Zuercher, George Pesley, Steve Zuercher, Dr. Dewey Browder, and Christine Bridwell at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
John and Nancy Hancock at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)
Capt. William Edmiston National Society Daughters of the American Revolution at the Clarksville kickoff event for The Road to 250 birthday on Sept. 11, 2024. (Jeff Danault)

“We got a great cause, and that’s America’s 250th birthday,” said Dr. Dewey Browder, one of the event organizers. “America has been responsible for more mass human happiness than any other country in the history of the world and we’re celebrating the 250th birthday.”

For the event, the posting of the colors was by the Valentine Sevier Chapter of The Sons of the American Revolution. Charlie King sang the national anthem

This theatrical performance was the first of 12 that will be offered over the coming four semesters to tell the history of the United States under the title “The Road to 250: America’s Story.”

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