The National Park Service and the Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite the community to join in commemorating the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Friday, July 4. The annual formal commemoration ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at the ironmaster's mansion. Other programming will be offered throughout the day. Admission is free.

This year's ceremony will include musical performances by Amanda Spotts and Amelia Shelgren, the presenting of colors by local Scout troops and the readings of winning essay submissions from this year's Independence Day Writing Challenge. The ceremony will conclude with the public being invited to take part in a shared reading of the Declaration of Independence. The winning essays from this year and previous years can be found on the park's website.

In addition to the 2 p.m. ceremony, a variety of programming will be offered on-site from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., including aluminum casting demonstrations, wool dyeing, flax spinning and blacksmithing.  

Hopewell Furnace is located at 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, about 5 miles south of Birdsboro off Route 345. For more information, call 610-582-8773 or visit http://www.nps.gov/hofu.