WORLD-WIDE BELL RINGING BEGINS IN PHILLY ON JULY 4^th
Descendants Of Signers Of Declaration Of Independence & PA Governor On Hand For Ceremony

Philadelphia, June 29, 2004 — Freedom will ring on the Fourth of July in Philadelphia — and, subsequently, all over the world — as part of Let Freedom Ring, the nation’s only Congressionally mandated Independence Day commemoration. Officiated by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, national spokesperson for Let Freedom Ring, the ceremony starts at the Liberty Bell Center, home to one of the world’s greatest symbols of freedom. Originating in America’s birthplace, the bell ringing then quickly spreads internationally to destinations as far as Caen, Normandy, where the new Normandy Liberty Bell resides, and closer to home in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, site of the UAL Flight 93 Memorial Chapel, dedicated in honor of the victims of September 11, 2001.

The actual bell ringing kicks off at 2 p.m. in Philadelphia, where four children, all descendants of signers of the Declaration of Independence, will gently tap the Liberty Bell 13 times (for each of the original states). This year’s bell tappers are:

• Thomas Gaillard Heyward, III, age eight, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, descendant of Thomas Heyward, Jr. of South Carolina

• Daniel Calvin Wallace, age 10, Newport News, Virginia, descendant of John Morton of Pennsylvania (cousin of Heather and Meghan)

• Heather Renee Wallace, age 10, Locust Grove, Virginia, descendant of John Morton of Pennsylvania (cousin of Daniel and Meghan)

• Meghan Sarah Wallace, age nine, Locust Grove, Virginia, descendant of John Morton of Pennsylvania (cousin of Daniel and Heather)

Philadelphia’s ceremony features music and entertainment by the Philadelphia Boys Choir, Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, the Continental Color Guard of the 3^rd U.S. Infantry and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, among others. Both moving and patriotic, the event dates back to a 1963 Joint Resolution of Congress officially authorizing a national bell-ringing ceremony. The event has been sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of The Revolution since 1969. 

Other cities participating in the bell ringing shortly after 2 p.m. on July 4, 2004 are Honolulu, Hawaii; Washington, D.C.; Rochester, New York; New Haven, Connecticut; Melbourne, Florida; Redlands, California; and Baltimore, Maryland.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia’s regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region’s economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, click on the CultureFiles’™ link.

# # #

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos of Fourth of July happenings in Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com/pressroom/main/highresphotos. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.gophila.com and www.americasbirthday.com.

June 2004

Back to News Release List