Around 60 Newtown residents crowded outside the front steps of Edmond Town Hall for a live reading of The Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 4.

The event celebrated the 250th anniversary of the adoption of The Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress.

Many people in the crowd wore red, white, and blue clothes, with some even waving small American flags. They could also help themselves to some donut holes, coffee, and water on the sidewalk nearby. Regardless of what people wore or what they ate, the warm summer weather made it the perfect day for everyone to come together for Independence Day.

Legislative Council member Ben Ruben, who organized the event, welcomed everyone and asked them to rise for "The Star-Spangled Banner." Afterwards, Ruben addressed the crowd.

"I have the honor of serving as one of your representatives of Newtown's Legislative Council, but today, I stand before you simply as a fellow citizen and your neighbor," Ruben said.

He continued by saying he wanted to read The Declaration of Independence not as a "classroom lesson," but as a solid reminder of the words that launched the American experiment and still speak to people today in Newtown.

"Nearly 250 years ago, these words lit the fuse of a revolution and proclaimed a new nation founded on courage, conviction, and the belief that a free people can govern themselves," Ruben told everyone.

He expressed his gratitude for everyone choosing to spend part of their Independence Day morning on the steps of Edmond Town Hall, especially with the hot weather.

Ruben continued, "Let us now take a few moments to hear The Declaration of Independence in full to reflect on the enduring principles and sacrifices behind it."

He then began to read The Declaration of Independence. For nine minutes, the crowd stood at attention, listening to Ruben as he read the document in its entirety. As Ruben read the final words of the document, declaring that "these United States Colonies are and are right to be free and independent states," the crowd cheered.

Ruben then proceeded to read the full name of every person who signed the declaration, along with where they represented.

For Ruben, he was happy to see so many people come out to celebrate the special occasion. He looked at The Newtown Bee's community calendar early last week, and saw that no one in town planned for an event celebrating America's 250th anniversary on that day.

"I was like, if there's any appropriate time, it'd be now," Ruben told The Newtown Bee on July 4. "So we put it together ourselves really quickly; I didn't think anybody was going to come, but it's really nice to see a lot of people here."

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.