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Written by Dr. Steve Hubbard

Andalusia is one of many cities across the United States celebrating the Fourth of July in a big way.

For the second consecutive year, the city will begin celebrating early with a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, the nation’s founding document. Area residents will serve as readers and bell ringers. After the program, the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will provide refreshments.

All this will take place the evening of Tuesday, July 1, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Auditorium. The event is free, and the public is cordially invited.

Event coordinator Dr. Steve Hubbard says the idea comes from a more than thirty-year tradition on National Public Radio. Every Fourth, during the Morning Edition broadcast, NPR journalists read the Declaration over the air, each person reading a section before moving on to the next section and reader.

During his teaching career at LBW Community College, Dr. Hubbard would also get his American literature students to read it aloud. However, he says, “Hearing the Declaration read aloud in a place like the Andalusia City Hall tends to be more meaningful than in the classroom. City Hall comes closer to the public settings in which the Declaration would have been read aloud in 1776. Also, the rehearsals before the reading and the addition of the bells make possible a dramatic quality not as likely in a classroom setting.”

Before the reading, Hubbard will provide some brief historical background. At the end, Hannah Cross will lead the audience in singing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” Hubbard invites everyone to “come listen to the words that gave birth to our country.”