Residents of Sharon and beyond gathered on the Lawn of the Hotchkiss Library and the Sharon Historical Society & Museum on July 4 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with historical reenactments, a public reading of the Declaration, and family activities.
The celebration kicked off at noon with two firings of a cannon by colonial reenactors. Afterward, a crowd of visitors gathered around a display of historical artifacts while one reenactor explained their significance. Throughout the afternoon, reenactors stationed around the library and museum grounds helped recreate the atmosphere of the Revolutionary era.
Hotchkiss Library Executive Director Gretchen Hackmeister, who served on a town committee that organized the event, said planning had been underway for about a year.
“I remember the bicentennial when I was a kid, and it was really fun and meaningful, so I wanted to be part of it again,” Hackmeister said. “At the library we are reading the Declaration of Independence, so I helped organize that, and I’m excited about that. I think it’s particularly meaningful right now.”
Colonial reenactors set the scene at Sharon’s Fourth of July celebration. Phoebe Tobin
At 12:30 p.m., community members took turns reading sections of the Declaration of Independence. As readers recited the Declaration’s list of grievances against the British Crown, the audience responded to each one with a spirited chorus of boos.
Attendees Scott and Michelle Pastor said they came to celebrate both the nation’s history and their community.
“We were here on the 200th,” Scott Pastor said. “I would ask anybody why they’re not here.”
“We are proud of our country,” Michelle Pastor added, who also expressed pride from being from Sharon. “I was born and raised here.”
The couple said their favorite part of the celebration was seeing so many members of the community come together to mark the occasion.
The event also featured hot dogs and an ice cream truck, all free as a part of the celebration. The event concluded at 2 p.m. with the ringing of bells, a tradition observed across the country, followed by a final cannon salute to mark the occasion.
