OPFOB Concert for Heroes: Helping stop soldier suicide
RIDGELAND, SC (WSAV) – Operation Patriots FOB (OPFOB), exists on a 268-acre recreational property in Ridgeland, SC where members host veterans, active duty, first responders and their families.
The mission is to create and foster positive experiences for these local heroes by connecting through outdoor and recreational activities, creating an alliance through peer engagement in a comfortable and relaxed environment. These various forms of recreation, along with a newfound camaraderie, have been proven ways of helping our veterans deal with PTSD and other demons they may be facing from the scars of battle.
OPFOB Founder JR Brown talked to WSAV's Andrew Davis on First News at 4 about OPFOB's mission and how you can help.
OPFOB is hosting a benefit concert in support of this mission on April 26 at OPFOB. The headliner will be country music star Clay Walker along with special guests Chris Cagle, and local legend Chris Jones.
OPFOB has TWO exclusive opportunities to meet and spend time with an American legend — Army veteran, six-time UFC Champion, and actor Randy Couture.
All proceeds help fund our mission of helping veterans and first responders.
The concert will be held on 328 Lakeview Drive in Ridgeland, S.C. General admission is $50. The show will last from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Click here to learn more.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Door County theater season is about to raise its curtain for 2025. Here's your guide
The curtain is raising on Door County's vibrant summer theater season for 2025. A couple of the Peninsula's companies have held offseason shows, others have held play readings and other outreach programs over the winter. But now that the middle of June is approaching, the county's four professional theater companies and a community theater company are heading into the starts of their seasons. Here's what these five companies are putting on stage this summer and fall. America's oldest professional resident summer theater – 2025 marks its 90th season – offers five shows in a season running from June 17 through Oct. 19 in the company's all-weather, 600-plus-seat pavilion near the shore of the bay of Green Bay. Patrons can relax and picnic on the grounds while watching the setting sun over the waters of the bay and enjoy the ambiance of the beer garden and other gardens before performances. The lineup includes a popular comedy about relationships by one of the best-known and most popular playwrights in American theater, a stage adaptation of a haunting Stephen King thriller, a stage musical version of a classic novel, a warmhearted romantic comedy by a writer known to Players patrons mostly for his madcap comedies, and a hugely popular comedy-drama about female friendships. The season is: 'Barefoot in the Park,' June 17 to July 6 It's the second year in a row a comedy by Neil Simon, who's responsible for writing some of America's most popular stage and movie comedies ("The Odd Couple," "The Sunshine Boys"), finds its way onto the Players stage, after last year's "I Ought to Be in Pictures." 'Barefoot in the Park' also is one of Simon's best-known works, running on Broadway for more than 3½ years and 1,530 shows in its first run, and also was adapted into a hit movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. The story features carefree Corie and pragmatic Paul, newlyweds who are trying to navigate life in their first quirky apartment while also dealing with an anxious mother-in-law and an eccentric neighbor. 'Misery,' July 9 to July 27 William Goldman, a two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter (both original and adapted) and novelist whose credits include 'Marathon Man,' 'The Princess Bride,' 'All the President's Men' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' adapted mystery writer Stephen King's chilling tale for both stage and screen, the latter becoming a hit movie starring James Caan and Kathy Bates. The plot of "Misery" features a famous novelist who wakes up in the home of his 'No. 1 fan' after a car accident, but the fan learns the novelist has killed off her favorite character and tries to coax him into writing a new novel to bring her back, with continuously increasing mental and physical coercion and tension. 'Little Women: The Broadway Musical,' July 30 to Aug. 17 This year's musical at Pen Players features Louisa May Alcott's beloved (and probably autobiographical) novel about the four plucky March sisters during the Civil War, which was adapted into a stage musical by Allan Knee (book), Mindi Dickstein (lyrics) and Jason Howland (music). The story is told through the eyes of Jo, the aspiring writer among the sisters, and shows how she, Meg, Beth and Amy care for one another despite their differing personalities while finding their own voices and charting their own paths among their loves, losses, discoveries and hope. 'Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise,' Aug. 20 to 31 Ludwig is a prolific playwright whose fast-paced, madcap comedies such as 'Lend Me a Tenor' (a two-time Tony Award winner), 'The Fox on the Fairway' and most recently 2023's "Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery" have graced the Players stage. Here. though, Ludwig goes for something closer to the heart, penning an amusing and heartwarming story based on the real-life, long-distance courtship of his parents during World War II. The plot has shy and steady Jack, a military doctor stationed far from home, striking up a correspondence with outgoing Louise, an aspiring singer and dancer, and follows how their connection blossoms through their deeply personal letters despite the miles between them and the ongoing war. 'Steel Magnolias,' Sept. 3 to Oct. 19 Pen Players' fall show for 2025 is Robert Harling's moving comedy, based on his family experiences, about the lives and friendships of six women who support each other through their triumphs and tragedies, gathering at a beauty shop in Louisiana to ponder life and death, husbands, men and children. Harling adapted his play into a hit film with an all-star cast that included Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton and Sally Field, and a made-for-TV movie with an all-Black cast including Queen Latifah, Jill Scott and Phylicia Rashad was produced in 2012 for the Lifetime cable network. Peninsula Players Theatre is at 4351 Peninsula Players Road, Fish Creek. Curtain times are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays except for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee to close each show, except for "Steel Magnolias," which takes the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Individual tickets are $51 to $56 except for the "Little Women" musical, which is $54 to $59; discounts are available for ages 18 and younger or groups of 15 or more, and season subscriptions and gift certificates are available. For tickets and more information, call 920-868-3287 or visit Northern Sky Theater's 35th season of original musical comedies in 2025 features a world premiere and two recent favorites running in repertory for its outdoor summer shows from June 11 to Aug. 23 in the amphitheater in Peninsula State Park and the 25th anniversary run of one of the company's classics for its indoor fall show from Aug. 29 to Oct. 25 in the Gould Theater on the Northern Sky creative campus in Fish Creek. Shows will be held every day except Sundays. It also features a transition for the company as Jeff Herbst, a company member since 1991 and artistic director for the past 32 years, steps aside and turns the Northern Sky reins over to Molly Rhode, herself a company member for 17 years, the last 11 as associate artistic director to Herbst. The season on the outdoor stage is: The world premiere of "Something in the Water," the fourth Northern Sky musical written by Matt Zembrowski ("Dad's Season Tickets," "Doctor! Doctor!" and "Whatever Happened to Karl Janko"), is a madcap, vaudevillian musical farce in which the Grand Waukesha Springs Resort has seen better days, but its dedicated staff and a few zany guests try to save the hotel from closing amid mayhem and mistaken identities. It runs at 7:30 p.m. June 11 and June 14, then 6 p.m. Mondays, 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 8:30 p.m. Thursdays from June 16 to Aug. 21. "Dairy Heirs," by Joel Kopischke and veteran Northern Sky members Eva Nimmer and Alissa Rhode, centers on a passionate farmer trying to continue her family's longstanding tradition of farming but, after her father dies unexpectedly, having to deal with her estranged older brother and his ideas about what to do with the family business. The show premiered at Northern Sky in 2018 and ran again in 2019. It's on stage at 6 p.m. June 12 and 13, then 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Tuesdays and 6 p.m. Thursdays from June 17 to Aug. 23. "No Bones About It" by Paul Libman (music) and Dave Hudson (book and lyrics), one of the most prolific writing teams in Northern Sky's history ("Muskie Love," "Main-Travelled Roads" among others) and two-time Richard Rodgers Award winners for new musical theater, sets the story of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" – loosely – at the Verona National Ribfest, where the families of lovers Ronny and Julie are competing for the top prize in the barbecue contest. It previously played at Northern Sky in 2015 and 2016 and this season runs at 8:30 p.m. Mondays and 7:30 p.m. Fridays from June 16 to Aug. 22. The indoor fall season at the Gould has "The Bachelors" making its return to Northern Sky after an 11-year absence. The Fred Alley/James Kaplan follow-up to their smash hit "Guys On Ice" looks at bachelorhood through the lenses of Stew and John, a pair of 30-something bumblers living together in a state of extended adolescence when they innocently order out for pizza, never expecting the delivery girl to be the reincarnation of a woman they both wronged in a previous lifetime. The show has had four runs at Northern Sky since its 2001 premiere but none since 2014. Its schedule is 7 p.m. Aug. 29, 2 and 7 p.m. Aug. 30, than 2 p.m. Mondays, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Fridays from Sept. 1 to Oct. 25. Northern Sky Theater is a nonprofit professional organization that produces original musical shows in repertory. Tickets for outdoor shows are $29 for adults, $19 college and teenage students, $14 ages 3 to 12 for standard seating; $37, $27 and $22 for premium seating. Shows at the Gould at $40 for adults, $27 college and teenage students, $22 ages 12 and younger. For tickets or more information, call 920-854-6117 or visit The downtown Sturgeon Bay playhouse traditionally gets an early start on the season, with "Three Viewings" running from late April through mid-May this year, and offers four more shows throughout the rest of 2025, including a world premiere and a staged radio-style program of a classic Christmas story for the holiday season. The season is: "Buyer & Cellar," through June 22 On stage since June 4, this one-person comedy by Jonathan Tolins about the price of fame and the price of things follows a struggling, just-fired actor who lands a job curating Barbra Streisand's legendary basement "shopping mall" beneath her Malibu home, then strikes up an unlikely relationship with the singer/actor when she comes down to peruse her collections of costumes, dolls and other trinkets. The production is a collaboration with Renaissance Theaterworks in Milwaukee. "The 39 Steps," July 16 to Aug. 10 Patrick Barlow adapted Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie thriller of the same name into this fast-paced and popular stage comedy that won an Olivier Award for best comedy in British theater and earned a Tony nomination for best new play. The play, which appeared previously at TAP in 2013 and on other stages on the Peninsula, has four actors play a total of 100 or more roles. It has a stiff-upper-lipped hero get tangled up in a spy ring and accused of murder as he deals with double-crosses and beautiful women. "Ryan's Pub, Trivia Night," Sept. 24 to Oct. 12 TAP produces the world premiere of Alec Silberblatt's new play after presenting a staged reading during its annual play reading event in February 2024. The play focuses on Marci and Richie, the best team at the regular trivia nights at Ryan's Pub in Pittsburgh, and how their rivalry with another team takes an unexpected turn. "A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play," Dec. 3 to 28 TAP's WBFR Radio Players are back with this adaptation by Joe Landry of Charles Dickens' classic holiday story into a 1940s radio-style show for a live audience, complete with live sound effects and musical underscoring as five actors bring to life scores of characters. The company presented this show during the holiday season in 2022 and another radio-style adaptation by Landry, of the holiday movie "It's a Wonderful Life," in 2023. Third Avenue PlayWorks and its 124-seat Kane Theatre are at 239 N. Third Ave., Sturgeon Bay. The curtain rises for all shows at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, with 2 p.m. Friday matinees during the second week of each run. The first show for all productions is a Wednesday night pay-what-you-can preview, followed by a final preview the next night and the official opening night on the first Friday of the run. Subscribers receive free exchanges all season long and up to a 15% discount on regular ticket prices. Tickets are $44 for adults, $25 college students, $15 ages 19 and younger; ages 65 and older and veterans receive a 10% discount. For season subscriptions or more information, call the box office at 920-743-1760 or visit A classic story by one of the world's best-known authors joins a popular comedy by the world's best-known playwright in Door Shakespeare's 30th summer season in 2025. The plays are William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" adapted for the stage by Gale Childs Daly. Both will be presented in repertory from July 2 to Aug. 16 on the outdoor stage in the garden at Bjorklunden. This is the fifth time Door Shakespeare has produced "Twelfth Night" but the first since 2017, along with productions in 1996, 2001 and 2011. Shakespeare's romantic comedy has the lead character, Viola, shipwrecked on a foreign shore, where she disguises herself as a young man to become a page in a count's court. That begins a secret new life and sets off a romantic triangle as Viola discovers she is not the only one hiding something. Following a preview performance July 2, it runs at 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from July 4 to Aug. 15. In "Great Expectations," a young orphan boy, Pip, has a life-changing encounter with an escaped convict that launches Pip's journey from a small town to London and from boyhood to adulthood. Along the way, Pip encounters a number of unique characters and goes through some painful experiences as he, and others in the story, learns what it means to be true to one's self. The Dickens tales, published as a novel in 1861 after running as a serial in magazines, has been adapted numerous times for stage, cinema and TV. Following a preview performance July 3, it runs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 5 p.m. Saturdays from July 5 to Aug. 16. Tickets are $30 to $45 for adults, $25 to $40 for students, $20 to $35 ages 12 and younger. For tickets or more information, call 920-854-7111 or visit Door County-based community theater company Rogue Theater lists seven shows through the rest of 2025 on its website, with six playing in its opened-in-2023 DC Arts Center in Sturgeon Bay. The season is: "Hallelujah Girls," June 13 to 15 A comedy by Jamie Wooten, Jessie Jones and Nicholas Hope that sees a feisty group of Southern women decide that life is too short after the death of a friend, thus vowing to change their lives and achieve their dreams. "Hate Mail," July 11 to 20 A parody of the popular rom-com 'Love Letters' that has the correspondence between its two characters bounce between love and hate for each other. "The Odd Couple: the Female Version," Aug. 14 to 31 Women take on the roles of the vastly mismatched roommates, one fastidious and particular, the other sloppy and irresponsible, in Neil Simon's classic comedy. "An Audition for Murder," Sept. 12 to 21 A dinner theater murder mystery show that has audience members help solve the case of an actor's murder. This show will be held at several restaurants and locations to be announced. "The Tin Woman," Oct. 16 to Nov. 2 A Sean Grennan comedy-drama that premiered at Peninsula Players in 2014 about a woman who is drawn to contact the family of the donor of the heart transplanted into her, with emotional results. "The Unexpected Man," Nov. 14 to 23 This Yasmina Reza play has a famous male novelist and a female admirer of him (although he doesn't know she knows who he is) share a train compartment and separately muse about their lives. "Dashing Through the Snow," Dec. 19 to Jan. 3 A holiday comedy set in a tiny town in Texas where a parade of colorful guests arrive at the Snowflake Inn and deck the halls with their eccentricities, issues, thoughts and dreams. Rogue Theater shows play in the DC Arts Center, 917 N. 14th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, except where noted. For specific show dates and times, ticket prices, advance tickets or more information, call 920-818-0816, visit or email 1roguetheater@ Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Door County has weekend festivals throughout June. Here's your guide MORE: Police identify body found in water off Door County in the bay of Green Bay FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here's your guide to the shows in the 2025 Door County theater season
Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
America250 Announces 2025 America's Field Trip Awardees: Celebrating Students Across the Nation
WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--America250, the official national organization charged by Congress with commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, today proudly announced the 2025 'America's Field Trip' awardees. America's Field Trip is a nationwide contest inviting students in grades 3–12 to reflect on the question: 'What does America mean to you?' The 150 America's Field Trip awardees hail from 41 states and 4 U.S. territories and were selected by a panel of current and former educators. Thousands of students from all 50 states, 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia submitted writing and artwork to the 2024-2025 America's Field Trip contest. The seventy-five first-place awardees will embark on immersive, unforgettable field trips to iconic American historical and cultural sites this summer, with seventy-five second-place awardees each receiving a $500 cash award. This marks the second group of America's Field Trip awardees recognized by America250 and follows the successful pilot program launched in 2024. 'America's Field Trip is a transformative opportunity for students across the country to engage with our nation's history in meaningful, lasting ways," said Rosie Rios, Chair of America250. 'Our tentpole programs are intentionally designed to be hands-on, educational and engaging. America's Field Trip truly brings the story of America to life and allows a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these students to experience American history and national treasures up-close.' Each first-place awardee will choose one of the following specially-curated experiences: Private tours of Boston Revolutionary War sites, including the Old North Church, the Paul Revere House, and Bunker Hill Monument Behind-the-scenes tour of the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and sleepover at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, DC Exclusive visits to two Washington, DC, institutions: a trip into the National Archives Vault and private tour of the Smithsonian's National Zoo Exclusive tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, and visit to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC Walking tour of historic Lower Manhattan and a performance and opportunity to meet the company of HAMILTON in New York CityStorytelling, history, and commemoration under the stars at Mount Rushmore National Memorial Private tours of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, the International African American Museum, and the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina Exclusive tours of the Alamo in San Antonio and the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas Backstage tour of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio Beyond the ropes tour of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Guided visit to Angel Island Immigration Station and candlelight tour of Fort Point at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California Private guided tour of Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Wyoming Ranger-led hikes and tours of the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado Private tour of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida The 2024-2025 contest was made possible through the support of Founding Sponsor BNY Mellon and educational partner Discovery Education. 'We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of this year's awardees,' said Jayee Koffey, Chief Enablement and Global Affairs Officer at BNY. 'The creativity and passion of these students encapsulates the future spirit of our nation. As BNY continues to support America's 250th anniversary celebrations, we are proud to cheer on the future leaders of America.' For a full list of awardees and a selection of winning submissions, please visit First Place Awardees Alabama Jaid S., 9th Grade, Helena Ava H., 12th Grade, Madison Arizona Samarthya S., 3rd Grade, Chandler Arkansas Katherine Q., 12th Grade, Nashville California Melanie G., 4th Grade, Rancho Cordova Mirabelle G., 4th Grade, Pasadena Aadya K., 5th Grade, San Jose Emelynn M., 5th Grade, Temecula Parker S., 5th Grade, Murrieta Sharon X., 5th Grade, Arcadia Sophia C., 6th Grade, San Diego Mason M., 7th Grade, Los Angeles David K., 8th Grade, Manhattan Beach Evelyn B., 10th Grade, Sacramento Agnes Q., 12th Grade, South San Francisco Colorado Justin Y., 4th Grade, Denver Annie S., 7th Grade, Thornton Ava S., 7th Grade, Colorado Springs Yufan L., 11th Grade, Colorado Springs Delaware Grace S., 9th Grade, Milton Vivian W., 10th Grade, Hockessin Florida Abigail C., 3rd Grade, Ponte Vedra Angel G., 4th Grade, Saint Augustine Singita C., 8th Grade, Palm Beach Gardens Georgia Corrina T., 7th Grade, Winterville Josiah C., 12th Grade, Lithonia Guam Yaxin L., 9th Grade, Dededo Idaho Tonya H., 6th Grade, Orofino Haley H., 8th Grade, Orofino Kanghyeon B., 8th Grade, Meridian Illinois Olivia H., 6th Grade, Aurora Margot K., 11th Grade, Northbrook Jack J., 12th Grade, Elgin Kansas Eleanor P., 5th Grade, Eastborough Kentucky Daanya R., 8th Grade, Lexington Louisiana Emory D., 3rd Grade, Madisonville Nicholas N., 6th Grade, Metairie Auralia S., 12th Grade, Barksdale Air Force Base Massachusetts Freya H., 4th Grade, Boston Johan C., 8th Grade, Weston Saachi M., 11th Grade, Hingham Mississippi Benjamin P., 11th Grade, Corinth Brianna H., 11th Grade, Corinth Missouri Austin F., 8th Grade, Weldon Spring New Jersey Arjun K. , 5th Grade, Towaco Nikita D., 5th Grade, Marlboro Jayden A., 7th Grade, South Amboy Anish G., 8th Grade, Basking Ridge Yuna J., 8th Grade, Moorestown Megan W., 12th Grade, Westfield Parinita C., 12th Grade, Bridgewater New York Asia S., 7th Grade, Rifton Eric B., 7th Grade, Rifton Hannah B., 11th Grade, Chester North Carolina Zadie B. , 4th Grade, Charlotte Kahlan V., 6th Grade, Hickory Annie B., 8th Grade, Fayetteville Northern Mariana Islands Aileen K., 5th Grade, Tamuning Ohio Eva H., 5th Grade, Pataskala Pennsylvania Santino W., 4th Grade, McMurray Toluwanimi F., 4th Grade, Philadelphia Clara C. , 5th Grade, Fogelsville Regan S., 7th Grade, Pittsburgh Tennessee Leslie C., 12th Grade, Antioch Texas Mia L., 3rd Grade, Arlington Rehanika D., 4th Grade, Northlake Liam B., 5th Grade, Houston Emil M., 8th Grade, Houston Lydia I., 8th Grade, San Antonio Atharva E., 9th Grade, Wylie U.S. Virgin Islands Mirza B., 11th Grade, St. Thomas Virginia Aggie J., 4th Grade, Roanoke Gloria A., 11th Grade, Midlothian Simone H., 11th Grade, Haymarket West Virginia Juliann H., 10th Grade, Elkins Second Place Awardees American Samoa Janae R., 5th Grade, Pago Pago Fiao'o L., 11th Grade, Pago Pago Arizona Colton Z., 5th Grade, Mesa Joanna H., 8th Grade, Chandler Arkansas Joah S., 8th Grade, Altus California Jackson W., 4th Grade, Hayward Giovanni B., 6th Grade, Upland Ian C., 7th Grade, Sylmar Colorado Grace H., 5th Grade, Colorado Springs Elizabeth A., 7th Grade, Colorado Springs Lucy L., 11th Grade, Colorado Springs Connecticut Miriam M., 6th Grade, Westport Saige M., 12th Grade, Haddam Florida Savannah T., 4th Grade, Land O' Lakes Madison R., 7th Grade, Lutz Jessenia T., 11th Grade, Homestead Hawaii Peyton H., 8th Grade, Ewa Beach Illinois Maia S., 10th Grade, Belleville Indiana Jacob K., 5th Grade, Fishers Kayla B., 10th Grade, Indianapolis Kansas Emerald R., 5th Grade, Wichita Emma S., 5th Grade, St. Johns Louisiana Princeton H., 3rd Grade, Shreveport Luke B., 4th Grade, Lockport Paris N., 7th Grade, Gretna Weston W., 9th Grade, Franklinton Addison B., 12th Grade, Shreveport Lily W., 12th Grade, Monroe Maryland Rachel K., 4th Grade, Ellicott City Charlotte L., 8th Grade, Crofton Massachusetts Katherine C., 11th Grade, Hingham Michigan Aubreigh H., 9th Grade, New Hudson Paytyn E., 9th Grade, South Lyon Lucia H., 11th Grade, Augusta Minnesota Natalie S., 3rd Grade, Waverly Mississippi Chloe A., 11th Grade, Corinth Kinley P., 11th Grade, Corinth Camden L., 12th Grade, Corinth Jayden T., 12th Grade, Corinth Madison G., 12th Grade, Corinth Missouri Jase S., 5th Grade, Preston Jody B., 7th Grade, St. Clair Montana Ethan K., 5th Grade, Belt Nevada Ian K., 10th Grade, Las Vegas New Jersey Ximena L., 5th Grade, Linwood Christopher M., 6th Grade, Florham Park Madison S., 8th Grade, Flanders New Mexico Alejandro G., 11th Grade, Albuquerque New York Kenneth Z., 4th Grade, Walden Ava A., 5th Grade, Rifton Aviana S., 5th Grade, Walden Anmo G., 6th Grade, Manlius Sabine S., 12th Grade, Goshen North Carolina McKenzy G., 6th Grade, Kinston Brianna G., 12th Grade, Wilson North Dakota Korri C., 10th Grade, Drake Northern Mariana Islands Taemin P., 11th Grade, Saipan Ohio Aria H., 5th Grade, Springboro Oklahoma Miles S., 5th Grade, Broken Arrow Pennsylvania Quinton P., 7th Grade, North East Judy A., 8th Grade, Willow Street South Carolina Titus W., 4th Grade, Bluffton South Dakota Hannah E., 7th Grade, Flandreau Tennessee Tilly B., 8th Grade, Knoxville Texas Logan H., 3rd Grade, Coleman McKenna G., 5th Grade, Merkel Langston B., 6th Grade, Leander Maira S., 8th Grade, Sugarland Utah Audrey S., 5th Grade, Salt Lake City Liam G., 6th Grade, Farmington Virginia Lincoln N., 4th Grade, Stafford Mohammad O., 7th Grade, Vienna Ivah K., 8th Grade, Henrico Washington Madeline J., 11th Grade, Bremerton Wisconsin Willow A., 8th Grade, Cassville America250: America250's mission is to celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, marking America's Semiquincentennial. We aim to inspire our fellow Americans to reflect on our past, strengthen our love of country, and renew our commitment to the ideals of democracy through programs that educate, engage, and unite us as a nation. America250 will foster shared experiences that spark imagination, showcase the rich tapestry of our American stories, inspire service in our communities, honor the enduring strength, and celebrate the resilience of the United States of America. America's Field Trip Contest: America's Field Trip Contest is a creative opportunity for students in grades 3-12 to reflect on what America means to them through original artwork or written responses. The contest encourages students from across the U.S. and its territories to share their vision of America's values, history, and future. Open until April 16th, 2025, this free contest invites students to participate and contribute to the national celebration of America's 250th anniversary.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Coco Gauff's French Open title came with a trophy she wasn't expecting
Coco Gauff's French Open title came with a trophy she wasn't expecting Show Caption Hide Caption Jessica Pagula on accomplished Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys Tennis player Jessica Pegula discusses how amazing it is to have other amazing American women in tennis dominating the sport. Sports Seriously Coco Gauff said the French Open was a championship she always wanted to win, so much so that she believes her come-from-behind finals win over world No. 1 Arya Sabalenka at Roland Garros last Saturday was meant to be. The best American women's tennis player since Serena Williams just didn't realize the trophy she grew up seeing on television isn't the one the winner gets -- and "it's really small," Gauff said. As Gauff celebrated her second Grand Slam tournament win in recent days, she has also made sure to show off the miniature French Open trophy she got as a prize. In a video posted to her TikTok account from a private jet coming back to the United States from France, Gauff explained that the trophy she was pictured with after defeating Sabalenka remained with the tournament. The 21-year-old then revealed the smaller version she got to bring home and compared it to a small Perrier water bottle and a glass to demonstrate its size. "It's like a mini replica of the trophy and I guess to compare it, it's really small," Gauff said. "... but it's the memories that matter the most." OPINION: Coco Gauff showcases her unrivaled fortitude in grueling French Open triumph Gauff became the first American since Williams to win the French Open, and it comes three years after she took a humbling defeat to Iga Swiatek in the French Open final. Gauff, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, previously won the U.S. Open in 2023, but this title ended up being more dramatic. Gauff lost the opening set to Sabalenka in a tiebreaker before coming back to win the final two sets of the match. "That first set was so long. It was like an hour and twenty minute, and then I went to the bathroom, used the bathroom, and I kind of had a mini-panic session," Gauff said during an appearance on The Today Show on Monday. "I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm so close.' And I was like, 'Ok, you've got to chill out. Still a lot of tennis left to play.' Just splashed some water on my face and my legs and I went out there and I was like, 'Let me just leave it all out here and see what happens.' " What happened were two sets in difficult conditions in which Gauff got the better of Sabalenka, grinding out points by taking advantage of Sabalenka's mistakes. Gauff said on the "Today" show she felt relief after winning the U.S. Open. When she fell to clay as French Open champion, she noted, there was more pride than anything else because she had set out to prove she could win another major, and particularly this major. Gauff didn't yet know that the prize was a lot smaller than she may have pictured in her dreams. But the trophy was already growing on her. "It is adorable," she said. "It looks just like the real one, but smaller."
