28-05-2025
Liberty Bells coming to every Pennsylvania county for America's 250th birthday
Across Pennsylvania, counties are getting ready to celebrate America's 250th birthday with an impressive statewide art installation.
Bells Across PA will see 67 fiberglass Liberty Bells placed in each county, designed with images of the people, places and things that make that county so special.
The Liberty Bell is not only an iconic symbol of America, but it's also an enduring symbol of Pennsylvania. It's so popular that soon the state's license plates will be ornamented with it.
And starting this summer, each and every county in Pennsylvania will have a unique bell of its own. Westmoreland's bell is currently being worked on by artist Mandy Sirofchuck at her studio in Ligonier.
Silvia Filippini-Fantoni, the director of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, says when the Westmoreland bell is finished in August, it will sit right outside the museum for all to see and experience.
"When something is outside and it also represents a community that it is in, people can connect to it on a different level," said Filippini-Fantoni. "And I have to say that this bell will be doing exactly that. It is going to invite people to come, and I am sure that people will walk around the bell and try to figure out what buildings are what, what river is what, what animal is what and there will be a conversation, there will be stories that are shared and that's what makes art special."
And while the bell that will sit outside the museum in Greensburg is currently being worked on for later this summer, event organizers are seeking a local artist in Westmoreland to make a second bell with the theme: "MORE Energy in Westmoreland: Powering our Past and Energizing our Future."
This second bell is being sponsored by First Energy, and they are looking for images associated with coal, solar, wind, gas, hydroelectric and more. Submissions for this paid position are currently being accepted, so if you think you have what it takes to make a memorable bell design, click here for more information.
