4 July 2005

Governor Celebrates 4th of July with stops in several Kansas towns

GLEN ELDER STATE PARK, Kan. -- Celebrating the nation's birthday was the order of the day as Governor Kathleen Sebelius continued a tour of North Central and Northwest Kansas today, with stops from Concordia to Norton.

The Governor began her day with a reception honoring the 4A State Champion Girl's Track team in Concordia, then having breakfast with 100 folks surrounded by banners of red, white and blue, before traveling on to Beloit for a bell ringing to honor Independence Day.

"In 1776, the Liberty Bell was rung to signal the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Bells throughout the colonies rang to signal the birth of the new nation. In honor of that day, and of the freedoms that came from the sacrifices of the founders, bells in 50 different locations in Kansas communities, and hundreds across the United States are ringing at this moment," Sebelius said at a ceremony at the Mitchell County Historical Museum.

The Governor encouraged churches and other public gathering sites around the state to join the celebration of freedom at exactly 1 p.m. by ringing bells thirteen times, in honor of the thirteen original states represented on the Declaration of Independence. Each of the 50 participating sites in Kansas received a special proclamation signed by the Governor.

Later in the afternoon, the Governor stopped at Glen Elder State Park to honor employees of the Department of Wildlife and Parks for helping make it possible for Kansans to enjoy our state's great outdoor heritage at parks throughout Kansas.

Her tour continued during the afternoon with stops in Cawker City and Downs, before heading on to Osborne for a wreath laying ceremony at the town's veterans' memorial.

Schoolchildren from around Kansas were expected at an early evening event in Nicodemus to celebrate the town's founding. Governor Sebelius called the town "a true beacon of freedom" and an example of our state's long history of fighting for freedom for all Americans, from its founding as a free state to the Brown vs. Board decision a century later.

Today's events wrap up in Norton, the hometown of Judge Gary Sebelius, where the Governor, accompanied by her husband, will attend the community's fireworks celebration.

Monday's visits were the second day of a three-day tour by the Governor of North Central and Northwest Kansas. The tour was originally scheduled to last six days and take the Governor around the edge of the state, but the Legislature's ongoing Special Session for Kansas Schools will force the second half of the tour to be postponed.