Riverdale man recites Declaration of Independence 9th year in a row
A Riverdale man recited the Declaration of Independence in its entirety on July Fourth as he has done for the past 9 years.
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Jul 4, 2021, 9:56 PM
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Updated 1,118 days ago
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1,118ds agoA Riverdale man recited the Declaration of Independence in its entirety on July Fourth as he has done for the past 9 years.
Don Appel came to the middle of his neighborhood and invited the community to come listen to the words from the Declaration of Independence.
"To find out what it means for them individually and for us as a country. To see how we have or have not lived up to the principals that are established in the declaration," Appel says.
A handful of residents gathered today, one saying several years ago she heard what Appel was doing and finally headed out to hear what it was all about.
The entire ceremony lasted about 20 minutes and Appels' wife streamed the event live on Facebook.
While the words were written nearly 250-years ago, Appel says they are still important today.
"When Thomas Jefferson said that all men are created equal, obviously he knew there were people that were not included in the declaration and it's our job to work to make sure that our government includes everyone," Appel says.
He plans to keep the tradition going in the years to come.