Fourth of July Bell Ringing Ceremony

Petaluma’s annual Fourth of July Bell Ringing Ceremony takes place at 10:30 a.m. July 4 on the steps of the Petaluma Museum, 20 Fourth St.

According to the history of the ceremony provided by the Petaluma Museum, the bell came into possession of Miriam McNear Korbel when the Korbel Lumber Company was shut down. When the Korbel family home was sold, Korbel gave the bell to Rutherford Putnam. It sat in the garage until his wife, Helen Putnam (Petaluma’s first woman mayor), learned about a movement to get bells ringing across the U.S. at the same time on the Fourth of July. Putnam thought this was the ideal purpose for the Korbel bell.

In 1962, the Putnams mounted the bell on an A frame. They held a ceremony in their yard, and invited the public to come ring the bell at 11 a.m. to coincide with the 2 p.m. bell ringing time on the East Coast.

The Fourth of July bell-ringing ceremony was officially endorsed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and a resolution to that effect was passed in Congress.

The ceremony has since been moved to the Petaluma Museum, but it has been held every year since its start in 1962.

Petaluma’s Fourth of July bell ringing ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m., with the bell ringing at 11 a.m.

There will be cookies and lemonade after the bell ringing. Admission is free.

For more information, visit petalumamuseum.com.