A celebration in Centre Hall on Sunday commemorated the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Event organizers hoped to celebrate the meaning of the Constitution and to educate people about the nation’s history.
The celebration kicked off with a local a cappella group, Nittany Knights, singing the National Anthem.
The event, Constitution 230, featured live music and guest speakers.
Former Centre County commissioner and district judge Keith Bierly chaired the event planning committee. Bierly explained the Constitution Village Exhibition, where each of the 33 amendments and proposed amendments to the Constitution was represented by a least one expert on the subject.
“So [for] the First Amendment, we have a Penn State professor of journalism for freedom of press. Then we have a rabbi and a protestant minister for freedom of religion. A librarian for freedom of speech,” Bierly said.
He said the celebration was months in planning and he was really glad to see the outcome.
Many speakers talked about the practical meaning of the Constitution. U.S. Senator Bob Casey told the story of Benjamin Franklin’s contributions to drafting the Constitution and said the nation was built on optimism.
Bierly said he hopes the celebration will become an annual event.
