DAR bell ringing honors Constitution

by Emma Ellard

     Clinton’s local DAR chapter, the Walter Leake Chapter of the Mississippi Daughters of the American Revolution, honored the nation’s foundation with a ceremonial bell ringing on Tuesday, September 17, at the Olde Towne Depot.

     Sue Hunt, the Constitution Committee Chair of the Walter Leake Chapter, organized and conducted the ceremony, which is celebrated by DAR chapters across America.

     “[The Constitution] is the basis for our freedoms,” Hunt said. “It’s why it’s important, and it’s why the DAR works very hard to try to promote awareness of it.”

     Participants gathered at the Depot at 2:30 p.m., half an hour before DAR chapters nationwide rang bells at 4 p.m. EST to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787.

     At the ceremony, Mayor Phil Fisher made an official proclamation in celebration of Constitution Week and the 237th anniversary of the Constitution’s signing. Hunt then provided historical context for the event and emphasized the importance of remembering the nation’s history. The Knights of Columbus were also in attendance and presented the colors.

     At 3 p.m. CST, participants moved to Clinton’s historic train bell. Mayor Fisher, Hunt, and two attending children, Anne Marie Jones and Camille Jones, did the honors.

     “It’s more important than ever that we are patriotic – that we remember, and that we teach our children,” Hunt said during the ceremony.

     The Walter Leake Chapter took on several other projects for Constitution Week, including hanging posters and holding lectures at several Clinton schools. Walter Leake Chapter members also arranged Constitution Week exhibits at the Quisenberry Library and the Clinton Visitor’s Center.