By Karyssa D’Agostino
SHREWSBURY – In 2015 the Monmouth County Historical Association (MCHA) invited people to join in a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July. Four years later the event has become an Independence Day tradition that draws people of all ages to the historic Allen House lawn.
At 10 a.m. the yard was packed with approximately 200 people, some dressed in colonial costumes and many in patriotic colors. They sat in folding chairs, under umbrellas and on benches, similar to the way people would have originally gathered to hear news of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the late 1700s. One guest told those around him that this event is his favorite part of living in Shrewsbury.
“I love July Fourth. I love my country,” JoAnn Kurry, a resident of Little Silver, said. “I want to hear the Declaration of Independence and that’s why I want to celebrate this day.”
The celebration began with the presentation of the American flag by the color guard of Boy Scout Troop 50. The crowd was then asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
After 13 church bells chimed, representing the 13 colonies, the Rev. Lisa Mitchell, rector of Christ Church Shrewsbury, gave the invocation.
“In a day and age when it seems that politics is encroaching into every area of our life, even our Fourth of July celebrations, we are here to say that the one thing that does hold us all together as Americans is this Declaration of Independence,” Mitchell said.
The bells chimed once more after Mitchell led the crowd in a prayer. Owen and Mackenzie Doherty of Rumson sang the National Anthem.
Thomas Arnone, Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders director, opened the reading of the declaration which was broken up into 31 sections, all delivered by volunteers and members of the audience.
Some presented their lines like John Blake of Shrewsbury, full of conviction and performance, while others could barely reach the microphone, reciting their lines quickly and quietly. But the delivery mattered not to the onlookers. All the presenters kept the audience rapt, leaving them clapping and cheering after nearly every line.
Shrewsbury Mayor Erik Anderson asked those gathered to read aloud with him the final paragraph. Despite the heat, the crowd rose and recited the lines in unison, breaking into applause and cheers after the final word was spoken.
The Allen House was open for tours after the reading and guests were encouraged to sign a poster-sized Declaration of Independence.
