Blue text over yellow with blue water, surrounded by light blue and red borders. The background is hologram so it looks shiny at different angles when moved.

Niagara Falls is a natural landscape and tourist destination composed of three waterfalls that lies along the international border of Canada and the U.S.: Horseshoe Falls in Ontario, Canada, Bridal Veil Falls, New York, U.S.A., and American Falls in New York, U.S.A. Niagara Falls has been a popular tourist destination since the mid-1840's. The 1870’s started a movement to clean up and preserve Niagara Falls, which led to Niagara Falls becoming New York’s first state park in 1885.

Photograph of woman in white formal clothes with hat, above and below are white text, all on blue patterned background.

Bereavement can take many forms, one of which is celebrating the life of the deceased. This bereavement artifact celebrates the life of Marie Virginia Noncent (1940-2010). She was a wife of a bishop and a member of the First Haitian Church of God in Trenton, New Jersey. 

The tradition of bereavement wearables dates back to 1498 with Anne of Brittany donning black after the death of Charles VIII of France. Queen Victoria of England ordered all her people to wear black while she wore a bereavement button of carved black jet in honor of her deceased husband King Albert in the early 19th century. In 1861, this act is the first depicted mourning button. These traditions created a trend throughout the British Empire still in use today of honoring loved ones through mourning buttons. Today, these items are typically pinback buttons with a photo of the deceased, their birth and death dates, and often a phrase indicating rest in peace.

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Cumberland Falls is a 68-foot tall waterfall located in Southeastern Kentucky. It has been referred to as Little Niagara, the Niagara of the South, or the Great Falls. It was once inhabited by Native Americans up to the 1700's before being privately owned until 1930. In the late 1920’s, there were talks of creating a hydroelectric power station upstream from the falls, however, this was opposed by the Cumberland Falls Preservation Association who convinced T. Coleman Du Pont to buy the land and stipulate that no hydroelectric power station would be built on it. After his death in 1930, the Du Pont family donated the land to the state and it is now the heart of the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. It is part of the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves designated Wild River System.

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is located entirely within the Daniel Boone National Forest and is one of the few places in the Western hemisphere where a moonbow , or lunar rainbow, is regularly visible. Recreational fun around Cumberland Falls includes tennis courts, playgrounds, fire pits, bird watching, gem mining, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, canoeing, white water rafting, horseback rides, a pool, weekly activities like square dancing, archery, arts and crafts, group hikes, and animal encounters. There are other campsites for campers as well as cabins and lodges for guests to stay in the park.

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After an incident with President Teddy Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot a bear, Clifford Berryman, a famous political cartoonist for the Washington Star, used it as a metaphor in a political cartoon over Roosevelt’s indecision over a Mississippi boundary dispute. The cartoon became famous and inspired Brooklyn candy store owners Rose and Morris Michtom to make the first stuffed bear toy, which they named after Theodore Roosevelt. Morris Michtom called the toy, “Teddy’s Bear,” with Roosevelt’s permission. In 1903, the Ideal Toy Company was born, making the first line of teddy bears. The original teddy bear was given to Kermit Roosevelt, grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, and his family with the understanding it would later be donated to the Smithsonian. Kermit Roosevelt’s children liked the toy so much, they kept it hidden for several years until later donating to the Smithsonian on January 1964, where it remains to this day.

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The reformed protestant United Church of Christ was born through the union of two other church groups in 1957. Two other local Cleveland, Ohio, churches joined together to form the modern United Church of Christ. These churches were the 23-year-old Evangelical and Reformed Church and the 26-year-old Congregational Christian Church. The union combined both traits from the parent group to form the new United Church of Christs’ identity. The new church allowed freedom within the order compared to the traditional church structure, but incorporated elements of the European Reformation to stay tethered to the past.

White people illustrations over red and blue United States with black text and sponsor bugs on white background.

Hands Across America was a charity event organized by USA for Africa in order to raise money for food banks and homeless shelters in the U.S. The goal of the event was to form a continuous chain of people holding hands across the continental U.S. Participants would donate to reserve a spot in the chain as well as purchase commemorative t-shirts. Hundreds of celebrities participated including Oprah, President Ronald Reagan, Prince, and Jane Fonda.  

The concept for Hands Across America was partly conceived by Ken Kragen, a music manager and producer. Kragen had previously been instrumental in another USA for Africa fundraising event, We Are the World, in which Micheal Jackson and Lionel Richie recorded a song by the same name. Hands Across America would turn out to be far less successful than We Are the World. Its goal of creating a chain of people across the U.S failed as rural areas in the southwest lacked the necessary people. The song, "Hands Across America," would also prove to be unsuccessful as it did not have any big pop stars attached like, "We Are the World." Overall, Hands Across America would raise 15 million dollars, 35 million less than anticipated. This movement was featured in the movie, "Us," by Jordan Peele.

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The “Say nice things about Detroit” movement was the brainchild of native Detroit resident, Emily Gail. Gail owned and operated a small camera and gift shop in Detroit in the early 1970s. While on vacation with her husband in Florida, they met numerous people from Detroit who told them “how great it was to be out of Detroit.” For the remainder of their vacation, they hired a plane to tow a banner reading, “Hi, Detroiters. Enjoy Florida. Say Nice Things About Detroit. Emily.” That event garnered media attention and led to the slogan being used widely in Detroit.

Gold boat illustration on red, white, and blue flag with red and blue text and white text in blue border, all on white background.

Evansville Freedom Festival, held in Evansville Indiana, was an annual Fourth of July celebration consisting of food, fun, water sports, and air sports. The main event of the festival from 1979 to 2009 was a hydroplane boat race known as Thunder on the Ohio. Thunder on the Ohio was part of the APBA Unlimited Hydroplane circuit. The winner would receive the Four Freedoms cup, so named for the nearby Four Freedoms Monument commissioned by president Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1989, the winner of the cup was Larry Lauterbach, with his boat the Winston Eagle. To win, Lauterbach had to defeat the favored Budweiser team. The Budweiser team's boat, the Miss Budweiser, was piloted to victory by various Team Budweiser racers sixteen times in the thirty-one years the race took place during the festival. One of those racers, Dave Villwock, holds the record for most cups, with a total of ten victories. 

Since 2010, Thunder on the Ohio has been held as its own event, Evansville Hydrofest, usually taking place in late August. The Evansville Freedom Festival has since been renamed to ShrinersFest, but is still held annually. 

Red outline of Florida state with red firecracker with American flag and blue text on white background.

The Naples Jaycees are the local chapter of the Junior Chamber International of Naples, Florida. The group has been involved in local events, charities, community outreach, and professional development for over 50 years. They are known for their historic involvement in local haunted houses and Fourth of July Fireworks events.