Meetings & Events
Let Freedom Ring – Immanuel Church on the Green
07/04/2018 - 02:00 PM
Location: Immanuel Church on the Green
Address: 50 Market Street
New Castle
4th of July in Historic New Castle, Delaware
LET FREEDOM RING-created in 1972-begins nationally with the tapping of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia at 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight time. Each year over 100,000 Americans participate in sites that include the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, and the Washington Memorial at Valley Forge.
The public is cordially invited to attend Northern Delaware’s annual 4th of July bell-ringing ceremony. At 2:00 Eastern Daylight Time, beginning with bells in Philadelphia, bells across New Castle and across the Nation will peal, officially commemorating the birth of American Independence.
People of all faiths and ages are invited to attend the local, held annually at Immanuel Church on the Green. Everyone is requested to be seated inside the church by 1:25 pm as the program will begin at 1:30 sharp with bells being rung at 2:00 pm. Guests will remain seated for the pealing of the church bells. Following the main bell-ringing ceremony, thirteen children, representing the thirteen colonies, will ring a smaller bell, donated to the day’s event by the Old Courthouse Museum. Janice Oppenheimer will help coordinate the children’s bell-ringing efforts.
New Castle City Councilperson, Valarie Windle-Leary is a member of the Caesar Rodney Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Valarie will lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Color Guard of the Major Robert Kirkwood Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will open and close the program. This year’s emcee is Harry Roberts 111, President of the Major Peter Jaquett Chapter of the Delaware Society Sons of the American Revolution. Re-enactors, children, docents and ail who love wearing 18th century garb are invited to come dressed in period attire. Patriotic music will be provided by the Vocal Exchange Quartet, members of Region 19 of the Sweet Adelines. All four also sing with the Diamond State Chorus.
This year’s keynote speaker is Brian Cannon of the New Castle Court House Museum. His topic will be “The Importance of Separation Day to Delaware’s History.” Brian Is a native Delawarean who enlisted and served in the US Air Force (1970-73), then graduated from Delaware Technical and Community College and Delaware State University. He was employed approximately twenty-five years in the fire protection and safety management field, working as a senior loss control consultant in the insurance field. He began a second career, working for the State of Delaware in 1997 as an historic interpreter at the New Castle Court House Museum. Today he is the lead interpreter for that site, assisting the site supervisor with administrative and program duties.
Bring your children, families, friends and neighbors of all ages as we celebrate the 4th of July, and the 18th century Delawareans who gathered in New Castle, to support the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
