The Declaration Of Independence Read To Large Crowd

A large crowd of people gathered on Tuesday night to hear a reading of the Deceleration of Independence.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – A group of over 200 people sat on the East side of the bandstand in downtown Oskaloosa on Tuesday night to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud. The event took place just days before the July 4th holiday.

The event was put together by the Mahaska County Republican Central Committee and was similar to an event held in Wapello County over the past few years.

“It’s a good idea to remind our citizens exactly why our country is what it is and why we broke off from Great Britain,” explained Rep. Dustin Hite at Tuesday’s reading. “What better place to start than the Declaration of Independence?”

When the large crowd gathered, Hite shared his thoughts. “I think it’s a sign that people respect our history. They certainly respect the founding principles of our country, and they want to kind of show support for that. From a personal standpoint, of course, I think it’s because they missed the Thursday evening bands. But, you know, that’s just me.”

Mahaska County Sheriff Russ Van Renterghem also took the opportunity to read a portion of the Declaration of Independence on Tuesday evening.

“It’s pretty important, and the foundation of this nation,” Van Renterghem explained of the Declaration of Independence. “The Declaration of Independence says it all. You know, when you really listen carefully to it, depending on how it was read, by which reader, you could almost pick up a little bit of anger toward Great Britain at the time.”

Other readers of the document included Guy Vander Linden, Holly Brink, Dave Krutzfeldt, and Mark Groenendyk.