HOWARD — The Juniata Valley Council of Scouting America will join Centre County Sheriff Bryan Sampsell at Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village, 251 Curtin Village Road, Howard, in celebrating America’s 250th birthday through Light to Unite — Flags Across the Commonwealth, a statewide series of flag-raising ceremonies taking place in all 67 Pennsylvania counties.

Local Scouts, Centre County officials, volunteers and community members will gather beside the Curtin Mansion for a short ceremony on Saturday morning, April 25, at 8:30 a.m. Founded in 1810, Eagle Iron Works is home to Pennsylvania’s longest-operating charcoal-fired iron furnace and reflects early American industry and community life. The Curtin Mansion was the home of ironmaster Roland Curtin, Sr., father of Pennsylvania’s Civil War governor, Andrew Gregg Curtin.

Organizers say the historic setting provides a meaningful backdrop for the event, connecting today’s youth with the generations who helped build the nation’s economic foundation. Bryan family descendants — representing a lineage at Curtin that began in the mid-1800s–will join in raising the flags.

The statewide program began in Philadelphia on Feb. 8, Scouting’s birthday, and will conclude in Pittsburgh on June 14, Flag Day. A single set of commemorative flags is traveling from county to county, symbolizing unity across Pennsylvania. By the time the flags reach central Pennsylvania, more than half of the Commonwealth’s counties will have already held their ceremonies.

In addition to the flag-raising, the event highlights Scouting’s long-standing focus on character development, leadership and community service. Flags Across the Commonwealth aims to honor the nation’s history while recognizing the role young people play in shaping its future.

The flag-raising will also serve as the official opening of the 2026 Juniata Valley Council Spring Camporee, which will bring hundreds of Scouts and their families to Curtin Village for a weekend of programming. Except for the flag ceremony, Camporee activities are closed to the public.

Curtin Village will open its summer tour season on Sunday, June 14, with tours offered every second and fourth Sunday at 2 p.m. through September. This year’s featured program, “Echoes of the Revolution on Eagle Iron Plantation: Stories from Curtin Village’s Revolutionary War Veterans,” will take place on Sunday, July 12, at 1 p.m.