The ringing of dozens of small handbells in the Norwich City Hall on July 4th united members of the community, including Bishop Reidy, in marking not only Independence Day, but the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The celebration culminated in the ringing of the Freedom Bell in front of City Hall. Girl Scouts from Troops 63226 and 63227 performed the honor of ringing the bell. The girls rang the bell 13 times — once for each of the 13 original states.
The city's 250th celebration program featured a visit by Abraham Lincoln — portrayed by Howard Wright — giving a speech Lincoln made at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on George Washington's birthday, February 22, 1861.
City Historian Dale Plummer, who helped organize the festivities, said some might wonder why Lincoln would make an appearance at an event so closely tied to the American Revolution. Lincoln did pass through Norwich, as is well-documented, he said. But there's a tie from Lincoln back to the Founding Fathers, he added.
"It's because of George Washington that we got Abraham Lincoln," Plummer said.
Plummer said that it was at a gathering of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick that he conversed with Bishop Reidy, and learned the bishop is a big fan of the 16th president.
"Once I knew that, I had to get Mr. Lincoln back here," Plummer said.
In his prayer, Bishop Reidy invoked the Declaration of Independence, using perhaps its most famous passage, that "all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
"That Declaration became the standard for liberty and representative government in our land and throughout the world," the bishop said. Bells, he noted, summoned Philadelphia's citizens for the first public reading of the Declaration.
"May the ringing of these bells remind us of the gift of liberty that we enjoy as America," he said.
The July 4th event also featured remarks from Norwich Mayor Swarnjit Singh, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and a poem written and read by Kevin Harkins, "In the Year 2276." The musical duo of Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle performed patriotic selections such as "America the Beautiful," and "This Land is Your Land, which had most in the crowd joining in.
By Ryan Blessing
Four County Catholic
