Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Al Blanton and Jenny Lynn Davis
Four Walker County municipalities joined a nationwide initiative on Thursday, April 17, to kick off the 250th birthday celebration of the United States with local commemorations of “Two Lights for Tomorrow.”
The program, coordinated locally by Renee Sides, Economic Development Director for the City of Cordova, began in Cordova and made stops in Jasper, Nauvoo, and at the Walker County Courthouse.
The event draws inspiration from Paul Revere’s historic midnight ride on April 18–19, 1775, when two lanterns hung in the Old North Church signaled that the British were advancing by sea. Now, 250 years later, those lights are being reimagined as a call for unity, civic engagement, and hope for the country’s future.
“This isn’t just a reflection on where we’ve been,” Sides said at each stop, “but a call to action for where we’re going.”
At each stop, “Paul Revere”—played by Lawrence Sides—delivered a monologue about the meaning behind the lights and their connection to the values of freedom, unity, and service.
“These humble lights, glowing in the dark, carried a message of warning and hope to a people bound by a dream of freedom,” he said. “Let them now serve as a call to each of you to rise and do your part… Every deed kindles a light that cannot be dimmed.”
Students from Cordova High School joined the celebration at the morning event in Cordova. Representatives from American Village in Montevallo, who are leading the statewide campaign, engaged students in American history trivia and shared insight into the broader semi-quincentennial efforts.
Sides encouraged attendees of each event to carry the message home by placing two lights in their own windows. “Even if it’s just two battery-operated tea lights,” she said, “let others know you stand with them as one voice.”
Walker County was the first in the state to hold a commemoration, leading into the official anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride on April 18. WL
