Events › Dear Kenosha Letters: Celebrating America's 250

To commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, the Kenosha Public Library invites you to share your story through the timeless act of letter writing.

Participants are welcome to share their memories and perspective on life in Kenosha. These letters will become a part of a permanent collection at the library, preserving the voices of this generation and a lasting tribute to the nation's semiquincentennial for future generations.

To help with this historic project, we've partnered with Donna Kiser from Community Expressions. All submitted letters will be checked for grammatical errors before being compiled and published into a book that will be available for purchase in early 2027!

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When & how to participate
The letter-writing project is open to all ages. All submissions require a signed Deed of Gift form. Submissions will be accepted at all branches from July 1st through October 31, 2026.

What is a Deed of Gift and why is it required?
A Deed of Gift is a legal agreement that transfers ownership and legal rights of the donated materials from the donor to the repository. Letters cannot be accepted without a signed Deed of Gift. Forms can be picked up at any KPL branch or Bookmobile.

Topics to Consider

• Place or Business in Kenosha - A place that holds a special memory.
• A Lesson Learned - Something you learned while living or growing up in Kenosha. (family/school/work/day to day) 
• Community - An event that you or the community participated in.
• Culture - A celebration of culture and what it says about Kenosha Your Story - A memory or experience that happened in Kenosha

What happens to submitted letters? All submitted letters will be preserved in the Kenosha Public Libraries Archive collection. Letters that have a Kenosha theme and signed Deed of Gift, will be compiled and published into a book. 

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Calling all Chicagoans!
The Chicago Public Library is running a similar letter writing project for adults through August 31st, 2026. For more information visit: Letters to America: A Chicago Public Library Letter-Writing Project