Saturday Afternoon Ceremony Slated For Restart of Independence Hall Clock Chimes
By Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After an 18-month wait, a historic bell will toll tomorrow on Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
No, not that bell. This one is called the Centennial Bell, and it hangs in the clock tower of Independence Hall.
"Other than (a) test run [see related story], that bell has been silent for a year and a half," says Independence National Historic Park spokeswoman Jane Cowley.
After 18 months of renovations to Independence Hall tower (see related story), the bell is ready to ring again.
Cowley says a Saturday afternoon (4:30pm) ceremony will include a ribbon-cutting.
"Next to where the Liberty Bell Center is, we'll have a stage set up, we'll have some speeches. We have invited one of our law enforcement rangers and one of our partners at the Independence Visitors Center to participate in getting the clock mechanism restarted and getting the lights lit up," she says.
Independence Hall will be open an extra hour tomorrow as well, until 6pm. And Cowley says the timing couldn't have been better.
"It is the perfect time for school groups to come out, learn about our history, learn about the Constitution. We get a lot of families over the summer months, and we're looking forward to that as well," Cowley says.
