The National Park Service and the Friends of Hopewell Furnace will commemorate the 248th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Thursday, July 4. The annual formal commemoration ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on the steps of ironmaster's mansion. Other programming will be offered throughout the day, and all activities are free and open to the public.

This year's ceremony will include musical performances by Molly Herman and Mekhi Bloodworth, the presenting of colors by Girl Scouts of the Daniel Boone Service Unit 763 and Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of Pack and Troop 595 and the reading of winning essay submissions from local middle school and high school students. The ceremony will conclude with the public being invited to take part in a reading of the Declaration of Independence. 

In addition to the ceremony, a variety of programming will be offered on-site from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including orientation talks, molding and aluminum casting demonstrations, modern and period Junior Ranger activities and blacksmithing demonstrations.

Hopewell Furnace was established as a National Historic Site on Aug. 3, 1938, and preserves the late 18th- and early 19th-century setting of an iron-making community, including the charcoal-fueled furnace and its natural and cultural resources. The furnace was established in 1771 by ironmaster Mark Bird and operated as a furnace for the next 112 years.

The park's facilities are currently open on Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hopewell Furnace is located at 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson. Admission to the park is free. For more information, call 610-582-8773 or visit http://www.nps.gov/hofu.