Readers declaim the Declaration of Independence
Photo: Rink Smith reads the Declaration in Omena.
By Ross Boissoneau
Sun contributor
One might wonder why people are gathered at the post office in Glen Arbor on the Fourth of July when it is closed. The story is the same across Leelanau County, in Omena, in Empire, in Lake Leelanau.
Then promptly at 10 a.m. the reason is revealed. “When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,” booms a voice.
“And to assume among the powers of the earth,” says another. “The separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,” continues a third.
Welcome to the Fourth of July in Leelanau County, where nine people—one at each post office—read aloud the Declaration of Independence. At promptly 10 a.m., Rink Smith, Tina Greene, Sheila Bartle and six others will declaim the words that 250 years ago shook the world, the bold statement of the 13 British colonies of North America to be colonies no more.
“In 2014, The Leelanau Enterprise printed a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence,” says Smith. “I hadn’t read it in decades, since I was in school. I was blown away.
“It’s a wonderful document. I said, ‘I’m going to go read it in Omena tomorrow.’ There was no plan.”
So, on the Fourth of July he went to the Omena post office at 4 p.m. and read aloud the entire Declaration of Independence. His audience consisted of his wife and a family having a late lunch at the Knot. And a tradition was born.
The next year he did it again, though he got an earlier start, reading it at 10 a.m. A friend suggested he ask others to do the same at post offices around the county. In 2016, he rounded up five like-minded citizens for the eastern side of the county, and his friend gathered four more for the west side towns.
Which brings us to 2026. “It’s the 11th year for all nine,” Smith says.
The audiences have grown each year. Some now make it an annual tradition; others may not even realize what is happening until they join the crowd.
They soon learn. “When I yell the first time it gets their attention,” says Tina Greene, who reads at the Suttons Bay post office.
She became part of the group of readers in 2018. She says she was drawn to it because of her love of country and her love of history. “I love the way the Declaration of Independence is so well organized by stating explicitly the grievances and trying to be reasonable in their way with the British government. Each one of their grievances could be a history lesson,” Greene says.
Smith says reading it aloud on Independence Day is a way to help people remember why that day is a holiday. “It’s frustrating more people don’t understand the precise reason for the Fourth of July,” he says. “The precise reason is the Declaration was signed on the Fourth of July in 1776.”
So, why the post office? In the days when the country was fighting for independence, events, activities and announcements typically took place in the town square. In fact, the first such reading took place on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia. Colonel John Nixon, a financier and official from Philadelphia who served as a militia officer in the American Revolutionary War, read the document to the public in Independence Square. Similar simultaneous readings took place on that day in Easton, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey.
Today, while many cities and villages don’t have an actual town square, the post office often serves as an unofficial gathering place. It’s typically located near the center of the town, and as it is closed for the holiday, people can gather without interrupting any business. “It’s a known public entity,” says Smith.
He says the audiences have grown over the years. Where there were once five—the family and Smith’s wife—he says there are now 70 or so at both Omena and Northport, maybe 50 in Leland—200-plus altogether, he estimates. “I hope to approach 300 or better for the 250th. I’d like to get to 400 or 500.”
More than just the numbers, it’s the impact of the words. “It’s a living document,” says Greene. “I read it slowly and meaningfully.”
Smith says over the years he’s had some 30 people read. Some last for a couple years, others are long-timers. This year’s readers and their post offices:
Norm Wheeler: Empire
Elizabeth Blondia: Glen Arbor
Greg Julian: Maple City
Steve Yoder: Cedar
Patricia Soutas-Little: Leland
Sheila Bartle: Lake Leelanau
Tina Greene: Suttons Bay
Doug Whitley: Northport (subbing for regular reader Paul Sloan)
Rink Smith: Omena
Smith says the reading is important and meaningful for both the readers and those who listen. “It’s a wonderful experience to hear this document read out loud. It’s a tradition.”
The print version of this story misspelled Greg Julian’s last name. It’s Julian, not “Julien.” We regret the error.
