BELLEVILLE - The Belleville chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution invites the community to join them for a bell-ringing awareness campaign on Constitution Day.
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At 3 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2025 — the date recognized as Constitution Day in the United States — the Belleville DAR ladies will ring bells on the courthouse steps in Belleville to raise awareness and encourage conversations about the Constitution. Becky Juelfs, the Constitution Chairperson for DAR, invites community members to join them in their celebration of Constitution Day.
“Everybody’s supposed to BYOB — bring your own bell,” Juelfs joked. “You don’t want anybody to forget [the Constitution]. We’ve got to keep it right there in the forefront of our minds and treasure it, because you don’t want it to disappear someday or anything. We’ve got to keep repeating it, keep teaching the kids and setting an example to appreciate history.”
Juelfs explained that Belleville’s DAR and the Children of the American Revolution (CAR) chapters regularly celebrate Constitution Day with essay and poster-making contests at the local schools. The CAR kids will ring the church bell at Zion Church in Millstadt on a Saturday before or after Sept. 17, as they’re usually in school on the actual day.
Across the country, DAR chapters will ring bells at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Sept. 17. This is the first year that the Belleville chapter will participate, and Juelfs can’t wait.
She explained that DAR is an organization that supports local museums and historical societies. They also host essay contests, give out scholarships, engage with local schools, and complete beautification projects.
“To be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, you have to prove you have an ancestor who was in the American Revolutionary War, which is not easy,” she explained. “It’s a national club for ladies, and they do a lot of good deeds in the community.”
Juelfs encourages anyone who might qualify to consider joining the Belleville DAR chapter. She believes it’s a great way to preserve American history. She also hopes to see many people come out to the bell-ringing on Sept. 17 at the Belleville courthouse to honor Constitution Day.
“This is the first time we’ve really done it, and we’re excited about it, and we’ll probably do it again,” she added. “I’m going to try new things every year just to publicize that we’re proud of our country and we love this document that stood the test of time. It’s beautiful stuff.”
