Downtown Murray was already bustling Saturday with the Downtown Farmers Market, runners finishing the Main Street Miracle Mile and spectators gathering for the FNB Bank Freedom Fest Parade. Amid it all, county officials took a few minutes – 250 seconds, to be exact – to mark America’s 250th anniversary with a ceremony centered on the historic Calloway County Courthouse bell.
The “Let Freedom Ring!” ceremony marked one second for each year since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Organized by the America250 Calloway Committee, the event invited residents, churches, schools, businesses and community organizations across the county to join in the celebration.
“Whether gathered at a church, school, neighborhood, business, or the Courthouse Square, all residents are invited to take part in this once-in-a-generation community celebration,” the committee said in a press release.
Although the official ceremony took place on the courthouse lawn, participants throughout the county were encouraged to ring church bells, school bells, handbells, chimes or other bells “in a unified tribute to the nation’s history and enduring spirit of freedom.”
Destination Calloway donated commemorative han bells, which were distributed to participants downtown.
Calloway County Judge-Executive Kenny Imes spoke in front of the courthouse before the national anthem, prayer and the ringing of the courthouse bell. He reflected on the nation’s history and perseverance before handing the microphone to John Dale, a retired Glendale Church of Christ pastor.
“Thank you, Father, and bless us to be citizens that are loyal and are always trustworthy and always grateful,” Dale prayed. “ … May we have a new level of patriotism and loyalty that will help take us into the next segment of time, however long that may be.”
Micheal D’Elia, a Murray State University Police officer, said he was honored when Imes asked him to perform the national anthem. Last month, D’Elia won the local round of Gray Media’s national Star-Spangled Sing-Off Contest, hosted by KFVS12.
“I thought it was a great way to bring in the ceremony including some history,” D’Elia said. “I thought the prayer by my friend John Dale was perfect in honoring our country and community.”
Murray native Natalie Gardner said Saturday’s events captured everything she loves about a small town.
“I thought the event was really nostalgic,” Gardner said. “Growing up, I always looked forward to going to the parade, so being there brought back a lot of great memories. It also captured everything I love about a small town. The parade and walking through the farmers market and even running the Main Street Mile really seemed to bring the community together. Felt very patriotic for America’s 250th birthday!”
The courthouse bell at the center of Saturday’s ceremony is also the focus of two projects the Calloway County Fiscal Court approved at a special called meeting in June.
The first is a $22,000 clock and bell restoration project that includes restoring and modernizing the movements for all four clocks, rebuilding the bell striker and installing a system to synchronize the clocks and bell.
The second is a separate $37,167 project that includes installing weatherproof speakers, wireless microphone capabilities and a solar-powered battery backup. The Murray Bank funded the project in full. Representatives of the bank presented a ceremonial check at the court’s regular meeting the following week.
After the presentation, Imes explained that the bell’s enclosure prevents much of its sound from carrying, which is why the speaker system is necessary. A microphone inside the bell tower will transmit the sound through the speakers.
Imes said the system will be loud enough to be heard within a 24-block radius, allowing the county to use it for emergency warnings as well as a public address system for downtown events.
The bell also inspired a new piece of artwork, which was presented to the fiscal court ahead of Saturday’s ceremony. County resident and self-proclaimed “poor man’s philanthropist” Michael Patton commissioned a water-based acrylic painting of the bell by Daisy Mae Grimes, a recent MSU graduate.
Patton previously gave the court another piece he commissioned from Grimes – a charcoal drawing of the north face of the original 1913 courthouse. He thanked Imes and Rister for helping them gain access to the bell tower around two months ago.
“We took photos; we looked at lighting; we decided that we wanted to recreate the bell so people could see what had stood there, up until that moment, for 113 years,” Patton said. “Daisy is a very talented artist. She couldn’t be here with us today but should be applauded. These are extraordinary pieces of work, and a capturing of history in a way that makes it available to the people.”
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