Annual Declaration of Independence reading returns to City Hall steps July 4

posted on 6/30/2026; updated on 7/1/2026

Dover will begin Independence Day with a familiar tradition Saturday, July 4, as the Declaration of Independence is read aloud from the steps of City Hall.

The annual reading begins at 9 a.m. at Dover City Hall, 288 Central Ave. Mayor Dennis Shanahan will speak as part of the program.

This year’s reading takes on added significance as communities across the country mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain and setting out the principles that continue to shape the nation’s civic life.

Garrison Players Arts Center performers will portray three Founding-era figures for the reading. Kevin Collins will portray Thomas Jefferson, Don Briand will portray John Adams, and Brian Miskinis will portray Josiah Bartlett, a New Hampshire delegate to the Second Continental Congress and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The Margery Sullivan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will also participate in the program. Members will appear in colonial clothing and will hand out copies of the Declaration of Independence and American flags.

The reading has been a Dover Independence Day tradition for more than two decades. The event was started in 2001 by former Mayor Wil Boc and has long been organized by Garrison Players Arts Center, whose performers bring the nation’s founding era to life each Fourth of July on the City Hall steps.

Garrison Players Arts Center is a nonprofit, volunteer-based community theater group dedicated to enriching the area’s cultural life by presenting high-quality theatrical performances for family audiences. Established in 1953, Garrison Players encourages people of all ages to enjoy and participate in the performing arts and to help maintain the Garrison Players Arts Center.