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Constitution Week commemorates the signing on Sept. 17, 1787, of the United States Constitution. With that, the William Taylor Chapter of the DAR promotes Constitution Week each year in Lunenburg by the distribution in area schools and libraries of many materials that focus on the importance of the role of the Constitution.

However, this year, the DAR will be doing something different.

The local William Taylor DAR chapter invites the public to gather on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 3:45 p.m. at the front entrance of the Lunenburg Court House to ring a bell to commemorate the beginning of Constitution Week.

Those who attend are asked to bring a kind of bell to ring for 1 minute at 4:00 p.m.

In addition, the two historic law offices on the courthouse lawn will be open to visitors after the bell ringing ceremony.

“This year’s Constitution Week Committee Merny Erby, Diane Clark, and Ginny Arthur decided that because Sept. 17, the day that the work on the writing of the Constitution was completed, was on a Sunday, it would be an excellent time to bring the community together to celebrate by ringing bells for one minute at the exact appropriate date and hour,” said Anne Hamlett. “We are hoping for good weather and a good turnout for this event.”

The Daughters of the American Revolution started Constitution Week.

In 1955, DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week.

The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

According to the DAR Constitution Week celebration aims to:

• Emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution.

• Inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life.

• Encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.