Submitted photo Mayor Jim Auxer signing proclamation for Constitution Week with, from left, First Vice Regent Patricia Toffling, Regent Kathy Sholl, Cheryl Brow, and Jane Snyder.

Shepherdstown Mayor Jim Auxer recently signed a proclamation declaring that Constitution Week will be held Sept. 17-23, 2016.

To commemorate the week-long observance, members of the Pack Horse Ford Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) distributed 10 posters and 1,200 booklets of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to selected Jefferson and Berkeley county schools. Students were given the booklets to take home and share with their family.

The display in the windows of Dickinson in Wait Craft Gallery in Shepherdstown features the 250th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is comprised of the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights was written by James Madison. These amendments guarantee essential rights and civil liberties.

Saturday, Sept. 17 is Constitution Day and commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 courageous men on Sept. 17, 1787. A few of the well-known “Founding Fathers” include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Local churches are asked to participate in the “Bells Across America” to help celebrate the 229th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, by ringing their church bells 13 times, for the 13 colonies, at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17.

Members of the Chapter’s Constitution Week Committee include Tara Fritz, Chair; Cheryl Brown, Co-Chair; Jane Snyder; Carolyn Bryant; Kara Gibson; Vonda Miller; Polly Wharton; and Meredith Wait.

The Daughters of the American Revolution began the tradition of celebrating Constitution Week when they petitioned Congress to set aside the week of Sept. 17-23 each year.

The resolution was adopted by Congress and signed into law Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 2004, U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd from West Virginia introduced a bill that mandates that all colleges and K-12 schools receiving Federal funding teach a lesson on the U. S. Constitution.

Constitution Week is the perfect opportunity to read and study this great document, which is the safeguard of our American liberties.

The Pack Horse Ford chapter encourages all citizens to take time to reflect on our heritage.

The NSDAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to preserving American history, securing America’s future through better education and promoting patriotism.

To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.DAR.org. For more information about the Pack Horse Ford Chapter, contact Regent Kathy Sholl at 304-876-1250.