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CLEMMONS — Sept. 17 marks the 237th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, which is commemorated annually by the “Ringing of the Bells” across America. 

Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) encourages all citizens, churches, schools, veterans, veterans’ groups, senior/retirement centers, scouts and other youth-focused clubs, city and county employees, and leaders to ring their bells in unison at 4 p.m. eastern time on this day.

The “Ringing of the Bells” program will be held at Clemmons Methodist Church in front of the church at 3:45 p.m. Please bring your children and grandchildren and join the Colonel Joseph Winston Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in celebration of the Constitution. Children may bring bells to ring along with the church chimes.

The DAR initiated the observance in 1955, when the service organization petitioned the U.S. Congress to dedicate Sept. 17–23 of each year to the commemoration of Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution.

On Aug. 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law #915.

The celebration’s goals are threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.

“We are so proud DAR led the way in making Constitution Week an official commemoration and our members enthusiastically promote the celebration annually in communities across the country by erecting community displays, sponsoring municipal proclamations, ringing bells and staging programs to raise awareness of the Constitution’s tenets and importance,” said DAR President General Pamela Rouse Wright in a press release. “We encourage all citizens to join us in celebrating this powerful document that is so important to American history and to reflect on the impact the Constitution has had on the lives of American citizens past and present.”

DAR has been the foremost advocate for the awareness, promotion and celebration of Constitution Week. The annual observance provides innumerable opportunities for educational initiatives and community outreach, two mission areas of crucial importance to the National Society. By fostering knowledge of, and appreciation for, the Constitution and the inalienable rights it affords to all Americans, DAR helps to keep alive the memory of the men and women who secured our nation’s foundational liberties.

Clemmons officially issued a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week 2024 during a recent village council meeting. That proclamation is included below in its entirety. 

“WHEREAS, The Constitution of the United States of America, the guardian of our liberties, embodies the principles of limited government in a Republic dedicated to rule by law; and WHEREAS, September 17, 2024 marks the two hundred and thirty-seventh anniversary of the framing of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention; and WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary, and to the patriotic celebrations which will commemorate it; and WHEREAS, we ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals that the Framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties; and WHEREAS, Public Law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America designating September 17 through 23 as Constitution Week; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael K. Rogers, Mayor of the Village of Clemmons, North Carolina, does hereby proclaim the week of September 17-23, 2024 as Constitution Week.”