Public invited to local United States Presidential Inauguration non-partisan bell ringing ceremony

[January 14, 2021]   LINCOLN - On Wednesday, January 20th a noon bell ringing ceremony will be held at the Logan County Courthouse in Lincoln. The event is a non-partisan, peaceful and lawful gathering to celebrate the 59th Inauguration of a United States President.

Organizer Tonita Reifsteck says that she wants this event to be a unified show of support for our federal government and for our country. It has nothing to do with politics or who is being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.

Reifsteck has spent the last couple of weeks working to get people to come together in a show of unity. She said that the activity came to her mind one sleepless night as she reflected on the past and remembered that there was a time when a group gathered together every four years and went to the Washington D. C. to witness the inauguration. She said at that time, it didn’t matter who was being sworn in, it was the act of once again having the freedom to elect and celebrate a president and to show support for whom ever that person might have been at the time.

Adding to that, she was recalling the days when she was involved with hand bell choir at church. In 1986 there was a special bell ringing ceremony all across the country. On that particular day all hand bell choirs were to ring their bells at noon in their time zone. Therefore there were several hours of bell ringing going on all across America.

She said she thought it would be good to mimic that action in Lincoln, to bring everyone together without bias.

She began by contacting local churches and asking that they ring their bell towers at noon and to bring their hand bell choirs, if applicable, to the ceremony. She said she hasn’t heard back, but does know that several of the churches are considering the request. She is hopeful that they will respond.

In the meantime, her campaign with the churches came to the attention of the Logan County Democrats Chairman Gary Davis. Davis too wanted to get involved with the bell ringing ceremony. Earlier this week Davis put out the word that the Logan County Democrats would make both red and blue bells available at the ringing ceremony.

Davis noted that the Logan County Democrats will be at the bell ringing location starting at 11 a.m. The bells will be handed out free while supplies last. Folks can stop by and get a bell to take home, or they may stay and participate in the bell ringing ceremony. He also noted that this was not a Democrat activity and that everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend regardless of their political beliefs or party affiliations.

Reifsteck said that the Logan County Board had been contacted for permission to stand at the corner of the courthouse lawn. Davis added that the Lincoln law enforcement had been contacted and made aware the peaceful event will be taking place.

Anyone wishing to participate is encouraged to do so. Bells will be handed out at the event while supplies last or participants may bring their own.

The bells will ring for approximately five minutes starting at noon, then the event will conclude.

Davis also noted that there will be an opportunity to make donations while at the ringing ceremony. The donations would go to the Logan County Habitat for Humanity to assist with the mission of that organization. Reifsteck, who is president of the local Habitat said she was not aware Davis was going to do that, but Habitat will certainly welcome any and all donations made.

The gathering will take place on the corner sidewalk of Kickapoo and Pekin Streets.

[Nila Smith]