Thousands of visitors are expected in Hillsdale for the All-American Hometown Celebration this weekend for a three-day festival featuring a rodeo, classic car show, vintage train, and a Freedom Truck commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.

Presented by Hillsdale College, the business community of Hillsdale, and the Freedom 250 Commission, the Freedom Truck will make one of six national stops and the only stop in Michigan April 23. The truck will be located at the intersection of East College and North Manning streets, beginning Thursday, April 23. Friday, the Great American Rodeo begins at 7:30 p.m. with free entry at the door at the Hillsdale County fairgrounds. On Saturday, a classic car show and the first farmers market of the year will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m. in the courthouse square, organized by Hillsdale Renaissance. 

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, will bring several 20th-century vintage passenger train cars for display on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sponsored by Hillsdale College, the train will be located at 50 Monroe St. across from Hillsdale Brewing Company.

The activities are all free to community members and visitors, with a schedule of events at hometown250.hillsdale.edu. 

“We’re anticipating a lot of people coming to Hillsdale this weekend,” Assistant City Manager Sam Fry said. “We want people to go ahead and visit and see the Freedom Truck exhibit, but we also want both our residents and visitors to have a chance to kind of get out and enjoy a really fun weekend of stuff.”

Hillsdale will become a destination town this weekend, according to Fry. The City of Hillsdale, in collaboration with the college, is projecting several thousand people for the America 250 celebration, Fry said. 

“The city wants to do our part, not only to help celebrate and honor our nation’s history, but we also want our downtown to look really festive and patriotic,” Fry said. 

Hillsdale Renaissance is helping to coordinate the efforts between the city and college, according to Charlie Miggins ’25, events director for Hillsdale Renaissance. 

“Hillsdale College was super gracious and awesome with extending their events manpower to this, but also their reach and their audience,” Miggins said. “They’ve just been really gracious to offer that to the town for us to continue the party after the truck closes at five.” 

The collaboration between the city and the college is essential to building a better relationship, Miggins said.

“We really do want to see a lot more unity with the town and the gown,” Miggins said.

The college helped design the banners hung around the downtown, helping the town get into the patriotic spirit for the weekend, Director of Project Management in Hillsdale’s marketing department Michelle Sprott, said in an email. 

“A hometown celebration of America’s 250th anniversary brings Hillsdale College and the city together in a way that strengthens the entire community,” Sprott said. “It connects generations by blending the town’s and college’s traditions. Working together has helped both groups to create meaningful events for visitors of all ages that highlight our area’s place in the nation’s story. Most importantly, it builds lasting partnerships that continue to benefit the community and college long after the celebration ends.”

The college estimates around 2,000–3,000 visitors attending the events throughout the weekend. The Freedom Truck will be open 12:30-5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sprott said.

The train exhibit will allow visitors to celebrate the nation’s anniversary with a display of true Americana, Vice President of Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Luke Kelly said. 

“The train represents a cross section of Americana that lasts over a century,” Kelly said. “The railroads were the predominant way to travel and get around. It’s how a town like Hillsdale was connected to the rest of the United States. You could get to any corner of America by taking a train out of Hillsdale, and it would have been on a train like this.”

The rodeo, farmers market, car show, and train exhibit will provide visitors with many opportunities to see what downtown Hillsdale has to offer, Miggins said.

“Everything is free and everything is walkable,” Miggins said. “We want to showcase the charm of the town during that time with those two events.”