02-05-2025
Bakersfield participates in National Day of Prayer
A large crowd gathered at noon Thursday near the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield to take part in National Day of Prayer.
Groups of people bowed their heads to pray for government and other subjects. Some participated in a demonstration against abortion amid a friendly atmosphere of fellowship.
The event, celebrated every year on the first Thursday of May, included a giant U.S. flag hoisted above the gathering using a Bakersfield Fire Department aerial ladder. It required the closure of one lane of eastbound Truxtun Avenue.
BFD Battalion Chief Alexander Clark said the department has joined National Day of Prayer events for years, as it does with many religious and non-religious events and fundraisers around town.
"We try to help out the community in all ways that we can," he said.
