CHESTERTOWN — As part of the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, celebrators wave small American flags and ring handbells at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 4, 2026 in Chestertown’s downtown Fountain Park.
Following the initial bell toll from nearby Emmanuel Episcopal Church, bells sounded 13 times, symbolizing the 13 original colonies that declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776.
Pictured at far right, with a bell in each hand, is Kevin Hemstock, the mayor of Millington and a board member of the Historical Society of Kent County, which spearheaded the celebration in Fountain Park.
About 40 people attended the event here, which included a sing-along of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Also on July 4, Main Street Rock Hall, in collaboration with the Historical Society of Kent County, hosted a bell-ringing ceremony. And we are told that the church bells at Shrewsbury Parish Church in Kennedyville also were rung.
Congress authorized the nationwide bell-ringing tradition through a concurrent resolution agreed to by the House of Representatives and Senate on June 26, 1963. The resolution officially designated the Fourth of July as a time for bells across the United States to ring 13 times to honor the 13 original colonies, setting the nationwide synchronized time for 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
The symbolic gesture takes place in communities, churches and historic sites throughout the country.
— Photo by Trish McGee
