LIBERTY BELL’S TOLL TO BE HEARD ON JULY 4TH FOR “LET FREEDOM RING”
Governor Rendell Officiates As Descendants Of Signers Of The Declaration Of Independence Tap Liberty Bell

Philadelphia, May 17, 2005 — No living person has ever heard the Liberty Bell ring. But, this Fourth of July at the annual Let Freedom Ring ceremony in Philadelphia, America will hear the first ringing of the Normandy Bell, cast as an exact replica of the Liberty Bell. The Normandy Bell is a gift from the French to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of D-Day. The Normandy Bell’s peal will be in poignant contrast to the silent tapping of the Liberty Bell by four children descended from signers of the Declaration of Independence. The bell tapping at 2 p.m. sets off a patriotic chorus of bell ringing across the country. Let Freedom Ring is the only Congressionally mandated Independence Day commemoration. Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell is Let Freedom Ring’s national spokesman. The event is part of Philadelphia’s annual Independence Day celebration, Sunoco Welcome America. 

The Normandy Bell is the only bell in the world that sounds like the Liberty Bell, which last rang on February 23, 1846, for George Washington’s birthday. The Normandy Bell will arrive in Philadelphia with military honors and will ring outside the Liberty Bell Center during Let Freedom Ring. The bell then will be on exhibit at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia through September. 

Governor Rendell officially will greet the French contingent presenting the Normandy Bell on the Fourth of July. Harland Johnson, president of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of The Revolution, will officiate as well. After the ceremony at the Liberty Bell Center, Let Freedom Ring’s bell ringing will spread to 10,000+ destinations world-wide, including the Crystal Cathedral in California, Old North Church in Boston, Pearl Harbor and the UAL Flight 93 Memorial Chapel in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

This year’s Liberty Bell tappers are:

• Luther Shank, IV, age 17, of Odessa, Delaware, descendant of John Hart

• Jessica Scordino, age 13, of Endicott, New York, descendent of Philip Livingston

• Christy Scordino, age 13 (Jessica and Christy are twins.) 

• Douglas Scordino, age 14, of Endicott, New York, descendent of  Philip Livingston

Philadelphia’s Let Freedom Ring ceremony features music and entertainment by the Philadelphia Boys Choir, the Navy Ceremonial Band from Washington, DC, composer and singer Kay Seamayer, Second Pennsylvania Regiment 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. For more information, visit www.let-freedom-ring.org.

For more information on Fourth of July festivities in Philadelphia and to book a hotel package, visit www.gophila.com or call (800) 537-7676.

Sunoco Welcome America! is Philadelphia’s annual celebration of the Independence Day holiday. The nine-day, family-friendly festival, taking place from June 26 through July 4, 2005, is the largest of its kind in America. The celebration features music, entertainment, international cuisine and the best fireworks in the country. For more information, visit www.americasbirthday.com.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) builds the region’s economy and image through destination marketing to increase the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676

2005

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