JUNETEENTH MARKS SLAVERY’S END

Bell Rung 155 Times,

Hailing Emancipation

Tom Heitz, former Sessions member at First Presbyterian Church, Cooperstown, rings the bell 155 times, beginning at noon today, to mark the end of slavery in 1865. Rev. LaDana Clark and Jim Leslie stand sentinel.  Heitz and Leslie each rang the bell 50 times, with Clark ringing the final 55.  Inset, A “Freedom” display stands in front of the Historic Marker noting that the church, in 1827, was the site of a celebration by local blacks as slavery came to an end in New York State. Looking up at the belfry, inset right, is Katie Boardman, director of music.   Today is Juneteenth, which for the first time is a holiday for state workers, and Governor Cuomo has pledged to make a state holiday by June 19, 2021. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)