Liberty Bell

For a national icon, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia has been through some tough times.No sooner was the new bell hoisted into its tower in the State House of the Province of Pennsylvania (now Independence Hall) than it cracked. Probably the unusually high percentage of tin in the bronze alloy made the bell brittle.The bell was melted down and recast with extra copper in the mix, but the result was a dud, a bell that sounded awful. So it was melted down again. The second recasting proved satisfactory, and in June of 1753 the bell was back in business.

If you have never celebrated the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, this might be the year to go for it. The holiday weekend offers an array of patriotic events for visitors. The Lights of Liberty Show, a sound-and-light spectacle about the American Revolution, takes place today, tomorrow and Wednesday through Saturday. The patriotic show features huge, colorful images projected onto historic buildings with accompanying narration by Walter Cronkite, Ossie Davis, Charlton Heston and other celebrities.

The National Park Service's plans to showcase the Liberty Bell next year in a new $9 million pavilion in Philadelphia have come under attack from historians and local residents, who have accused the Park Service of trying to cover up a less noble element of American history on the same spot: the existence of slave quarters. The pavilion, to be called the Liberty Bell Center, is part of an ambitious $300 million redesign of Independence National Historic Park. It will be located partly on the former site of the Robert Morris house, where George Washington lived during his presidency and where his slaves slept, ate and worked.

Honors go to Master Gardener, school projects The Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals and the Maryland Department of the Environment recently gave awards to the Anne Arundel County Master Gardener Program's Native Plant Project, led by Master Gardener John Foerster of Millersville, and the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Outdoor Education Program, directed by Stephen Barry. The Master Gardener Program's Native Plant Project, "Rehabilitating the Chesapeake Bay Landscape One Garden at a Time," received the Innovative Program Award, and the poster "Down and Dirty: A Partnership in Applied Learning" received the silver award for best presentation.

DALE CITY, Va. -- Strolling past the Saks Off Fifth outlet, Dress Barn and a camera store in the vast corridors of the Potomac Mills discount mall, three college students from France smiled with anticipation as they spotted a shop that sold athletic wear.When they emerged with their purchases, including the New York Yankees baseball caps that were high on their list, one student, Philippe D'Haucourt, said, "Now that we've seen the tourist sights, we can go home."His quip held more than a kernel of truth.

PHILADELPHIA -- Anybody can knock off a life-size Liberty Bell look-alike. But how about a Liberty Bell sound-alike? A family-run French bell foundry and high-tech Baltimore measurement team think they can do it -- create a copy of the 252-year-old icon so acoustically accurate that it would ring true even to Colonial ears. "Our aim was not to make another replica. We want to get as close as possible to the original sound of the bell," says Paul Bergamo of Cornille-Havard, the Villedieu les Poeles foundry that will cast the replica.

PHILADELPHIA -- George Washington's slaves slept here -- right on the site of the new home planned for the Liberty Bell. And that disclosure has kindled a passionate debate over how to commemorate the existence of bondage alongside one of the nation's most enduring symbols of freedom. This uncomfortable juxtaposition was first divulged in the winter issue of The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in a lengthy article by Edward Lawler Jr., a musician, writer and part-time historian.

Civil War eventCelebrate the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Monocacy this weekend in Frederick. Tomorrow, listen to a panel discuss the significance of the battle at 7:30 p.m. in Winchester Hall on East Church Street. Saturday, listen to an interpretive program on the American brass band movement with the Wildcat Regiment Band at 2 p.m. Both Saturday and Sunday, tour the Monocacy National Battlefield with Dr. Benjamin Franklin Cooling -- at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday and at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Sunday.

With bells simultaneously tolling over the city tomorrow, Annapolis will join communities across the country in marking Independence Day.About a dozen churches, fire stations and other institutions will participate in the 2 p.m. ceremony.More than 200 communities nationwide took part in last year's commemoration, said Garth H. Read, president of the Annapolis chapter of the Retired Officers Association, a group of former military officers that is sponsoring the event locally."Nationwide bell ringing is becoming a way to observe our nation's freedom," Read said.

If you have never celebrated the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, this might be the year to go for it. The holiday weekend offers an array of patriotic events for visitors. The Lights of Liberty Show, a sound-and-light spectacle about the American Revolution, takes place today, tomorrow and Wednesday through Saturday. The patriotic show features huge, colorful images projected onto historic buildings with accompanying narration by Walter Cronkite, Ossie Davis, Charlton Heston and other celebrities.

PHILADELPHIA -- Anybody can knock off a life-size Liberty Bell look-alike. But how about a Liberty Bell sound-alike? A family-run French bell foundry and high-tech Baltimore measurement team think they can do it -- create a copy of the 252-year-old icon so acoustically accurate that it would ring true even to Colonial ears. "Our aim was not to make another replica. We want to get as close as possible to the original sound of the bell," says Paul Bergamo of Cornille-Havard, the Villedieu les Poeles foundry that will cast the replica.

PHILADELPHIA - One of the lost landmarks of American history may soon be brought back to public view - not only because it was the nation's first real "White House" but because it was also the abode of slaves. Described by George Washington as "the best single house in the city," the four-story mansion that once stood here at Sixth and Market streets was his official residence for nearly all his presidency and served John Adams for all but four months of his. Historians and architects have been trying to have the demolished house rebuilt or marked with a commemorative structure for years, with little success.

PHILADELPHIA -- A funny thing happened to Independence Park this past year -- people decided they cared about it. They cared enough to demonstrate in the streets, draw up petitions, write politicians and attend lengthy meetings -- whether about reopening Chestnut Street or acknowledging George Washington as a slaveholder. The message to the National Park Service in all cases has been simple: Let us in and listen. Apparently, that has not been an easy task for officials at Independence National Historical Park.

A - Atlantic City. Right up the road and home to roughly 38,000 slot machines. The casinos' pay-out is reportedly about 91 percent - based on an average annual return, for every $1 you play at slots, you lose 9 cents. At Vegas casinos, you lose an average 5 cents on the dollar, but it's a longer drive. Nickel slots, by the way, have lower pay-outs than $1 slots. Higher denomination equals higher pay-out. B - Bandit, One-Armed. Traditional nickname for slots because of the handle, which is pulled to spin the reels.

PHILADELPHIA -- George Washington's slaves slept here -- right on the site of the new home planned for the Liberty Bell. And that disclosure has kindled a passionate debate over how to commemorate the existence of bondage alongside one of the nation's most enduring symbols of freedom. This uncomfortable juxtaposition was first divulged in the winter issue of The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in a lengthy article by Edward Lawler Jr., a musician, writer and part-time historian.

The National Park Service's plans to showcase the Liberty Bell next year in a new $9 million pavilion in Philadelphia have come under attack from historians and local residents, who have accused the Park Service of trying to cover up a less noble element of American history on the same spot: the existence of slave quarters. The pavilion, to be called the Liberty Bell Center, is part of an ambitious $300 million redesign of Independence National Historic Park. It will be located partly on the former site of the Robert Morris house, where George Washington lived during his presidency and where his slaves slept, ate and worked.

PHILADELPHIA - One of the lost landmarks of American history may soon be brought back to public view - not only because it was the nation's first real "White House" but because it was also the abode of slaves. Described by George Washington as "the best single house in the city," the four-story mansion that once stood here at Sixth and Market streets was his official residence for nearly all his presidency and served John Adams for all but four months of his. Historians and architects have been trying to have the demolished house rebuilt or marked with a commemorative structure for years, with little success.

Hobart G. Cawood was Superintendent of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia for 19 years, during which he presided over Fourth of July ceremonies at the place where it all began. When he left the U.S. Park Service in 1991 to become president of Old Salem Inc., the historic community in Winston-Salem, N.C., Mr. Cawood brought along his collection of patriotic caps, T-shirts, hats, suspenders and ties; one bow tie has stars on one side of the knot, stripes on the other."I have enough red, white and blue to go to any Fourth of July celebration without a problem," he said.

RENO, Nev. - Early in the 20th century, when Las Vegas was just a wide spot on a road in the desert, Reno was Nevada's Sin City, known for its saloons, gambling houses and a new gadget - the slot machine. Slots were so plentiful in Reno about 100 years ago that the city had a licensing requirement for them. But the slots went underground in 1910, when Nevada outlawed gambling, only to re-emerge in 1931, during the Depression, when the cash-starved state legalized wagering. By 1940, a legion of the one-armed pickpockets worked Reno's casinos generating big profits for casino owners.

Birthday Party Baltimore has "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Washington has that whole nation's capital thing, but Philadelphia is the place to be on Independence Day. After all, the country's forefathers drafted and ratified the Declaration of Independence there, and it is home to the Liberty Bell (which was cracked and repaired at least three separate times before being permanently retired from ringing in 1846). This year, the City of Brotherly Love expects more than 4 million visitors for the nation's 225th birthday party.