“Let’s ring freedom bells!” said president John F. Kennedy when he established the national Independence Day bell-ringing observance in 1963. At that time Congress set aside two minutes on the Fourth of July when citizens all across the country would simultaneously ring bells of all kinds.
The Aurora Historical Society faithfully has maintained that tradition and again will invite visiting children to pull the ropes on two historic bells on the lawn of the Tanner House Museum at Cedar and Oak Streets in the West Side Tanner District. The nationwide observance will take place at 1 p.m. July 4 in the Central Time zone.
The bell-ringing is part of the annual Independence Day picnic at the museum, a free event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. It will feature entertainment, a petting zoo, children’s activities, a pie-eating contest, live music, tours of the 1857 Tanner House and traditional picnic fare available for a nominal charge.
— Aurora Historical Society
