Tuscaloosa: Patriotic Opportunity This Friday

A reading of the Declaration of Independence will take place this Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.

The event is sponsored each year by the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association (TCBA). Hays Webb, the District Attorney for Tuscaloosa County,  hosts the reading with attorneys from the TCBA.

Get our free mobile app

The TCBA's Executive Director, Melanie Burgett, remarked on the importance of the event. "The Declaration is the basis of our country...a lot of people have never heard more than the first few sentences."

Burgett noted that she always gets a good response from volunteers. "We have a lot of attorneys," she said, "usually somewhere between eight and twenty."

One of those attorneys, Luisa Reyes, has read at the event multiple times. "It's a nice event to make everybody start feeling red, white and blue in their veins," she said.

District Attorney Webb also emphasized patriotism, noting they always read the signatures on the document. "The individuals behind them literally staked their lives on their signatures," Webb said, "To remember them and their sacrifice is meaningful to me and the participants."

Webb said that the event also sees attendance from the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. "This year they're supposed to be bringing twelve different flags...each year it's been building more and more."

The reading is open to the public and will be held on the steps and front lawn of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.

Webb noted that chairs and cold water will be provided Friday morning to attendees. He noted that the event will only take about 20 minutes. "We'd love to have the community come share this with us."