Olympia residents can join a nationwide moment on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, when the Daughters of the American Revolution host a free public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The event is part of "Sharing the Spirit of America," a simultaneous reading coordinated by the Hawai'i America 250 Commission spanning all 50 states, five U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and communities around the world. The national program sets the reading at 6 p.m. EDT.

Oregon's simultaneous reading in Beaverton is confirmed for 3 p.m.; Olympia's local start time will also start at 3 p.m.

Why July 8? The Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and adopted the Declaration's text on July 4. But the public didn't hear it until July 8, when Colonel John Nixon read it aloud in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, after the Liberty Bell rang at noon to summon Philadelphians.

Shirley Stirling, a DAR member who serves as Washington state's proclamation coordinator, organized the Olympia reading.

She also helped draft the America250 proclamation adopted by the Lacey City Council on Monday, June 16.

"We are certainly not a perfect country, trying to make it better all the time, and I think that the Declaration had the right spirit, and it's helping us move in a good direction," Stirling told the Lacey council.

A venue has not yet been announced. Check The Jolt or contact the local DAR chapter for location details as July 8 approaches.