Grab sparklers and a red, white and blue party hat – a big national birthday is soon! Celebrations mark the 250th anniversary of when our first Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 – a step that defines the United States. So maybe even stick a feather in your cap, as we say when singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Events will take place in all states and Washington, D.C., during the next two weeks and beyond, including parades, concerts, prayer rallies, tall ship displays, military air shows, ceremonies, historic tours, activities at Revolutionary War landmarks and other gala gatherings. About 6,600 Army soldiers marched last week in Arlington, Va., and the capital.

Plans to celebrate next month's anniversary have been in the works since Congress 10 years ago approved "a nonpartisan initiative" led by a bipartisan America250 commission established under former President Barack Obama. Its official programs now are supplemented by a Trump administration effort called Freedom 250, which hosted a mixed martial arts match on the White House lawn recently. Another of its splashed comes Thursday with the start of a 16-day Great American State Fair in Washington, though at least seven states decline to participate. (Six have Democratic governors and the seventh, Vermont, is led by a longtime Trump critic.) Seven of nine musical acts originally scheduled backed out when it seemed essentially like a political rally. The president plans to attend a July 4 rally and concert on the National Mall, with Kid Rock as one of the entertainers.

These are among official celebrations of patriotic pride around the country:

• Operation Sail: About 80 tall sailing ships – the biggest such fleet since 1776 - were in New Orleans recently, reached Norfolk, Va., last Friday and head to Baltimore this week. After that, it's on to New York on July 4 and then Boston.
• Fireworks at Mount Rushmore: The South Dakota monument to four presidents hosts a sky show on the eve of July 4, which the president may attend.
• Ball drops: Times Square in New York City and sites in each U.S. time zone will have lighted ball drop festivities just before midnight July 3.
• Time capsule: Artifacts from each state will be buried in a three-foot-tall stainless steel cylinder at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on July 4 and remain sealed until 2276.
• Car race: A Freedom 250 Grand Prix in the capital on Aug. 22-23 will feature pros racing nearly 200 mph on a 1.7-mile street circuit with seven turns around the National Mall, Washington Monument and Capitol.

Organizers say: "This historic milestone is an opportunity to pause and reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond." – U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission (america250.org)

Blogger says: "This year, we will celebrate 250 years of no kings in the United States of America. It will resonate like never before." – Joyce Vance, legal commentator and former federal prosecutor

Commentator says: "The president has turned a solemn occasion into a Day of Trump." – David Frum, former speechwriter for Republican President George W. Bush