photo by: Courtesy: Dole Institute

The Dole Institute of Politics on the West Campus of the University of Kansas.

The Dole Institute of Politics has announced its summer programming to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America.

While there are several free upcoming events held at the Dole Institute, 2350 Petefish Drive, a noteworthy one is former archivist of the U.S. Colleen Shogan returning to the Dole Institute. She will have a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Beverly Gage on her new book, “This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip through U.S. History,” at 7 p.m. June 29.

Gage’s book release is just ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and the book dives into 13 road trips through 13 key places and moments in American history, including Independence Hall and the birth of the nation, the Battle of the Alamo, Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project, and Disneyland and the Southern California dream.

Shogan was the 11th Archivist of the United States and is the first woman to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the National Archives and Records Administration.

There will also be additional featured events open to the public, including:

• June 9, 3 p.m. – Historian Adam Hodge will be presenting “Kansas 1776: A Dynamic Landscape.” The event will highlight the activities and natural processes that shaped and reshaped Kansas before 1776. This is presented in partnership with Humanities Kansas.

• July 14, 3 p.m. – Author Tim Bascom will be presenting his new book, “The Boundless Game: Soccer Stories from Across the Street to Around the World.” This is presented in partnership with University Press of Kansas.

• Every Thursday in June, 1 p.m. – Kansas Public Radio’s “105 Live” will play family-friendly music featuring state artists. There will also be food trucks and family activities that will begin at 11:30 a.m.

• July 4, 4 to 10 p.m. – The 2026 Summerfest Fourth of July Celebration will include family-friendly activities, live music performances, local food vendors and a drone show. The event will be held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St., and is in partnership with Watkins Museum of History and the Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture.

• July 5 and 12, 2 p.m. – Sunday Jayhawk Jukebox concerts with Kansas artists. The event is presented in partnership with the Lied Center of Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Music.

• June 3 and Aug. 5, 3 p.m. – The Fort Leavenworth Series, including “Napoleon: The Man and the Method” and “Saving the Army: Washington at the Battle of Long Island” programs. These are presented in partnership with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

The Dole Institute’s museum and galleries will also have extended visiting hours from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday hours remain from noon to 4 p.m.

America at 250 special exhibits are currently on display in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery and Reading Room, including “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; “Kansas in 1776” from Humanities Kansas and “Spirit of ’76,” which features memories and memorabilia from the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations.