Washington County lends support to ‘Liberty Week,’ funds Liberty Village building

ST. GEORGE — Washington County is lending its support to a week-long event connected to the incoming Liberty Village being built in Hurricane.

Dennis Leavitt, president of United We Pledge, speaks to the Washington County Commission about Liberty Week, St. George, Utah, March 7, 2023 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Dennis Leavitt, president of the nonprofit United We Pledge, spoke to the Washington County Commission on Thursday, March 2, about “Liberty Week,” a proposed week-long celebration set to take place around Independence Day.

“Our main focus is to educate youth and preserve and protect the charter documents of America – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bills of Rights,” Leavitt told the commission. “In order to do that, we not only educate but also believe in celebration.”

Liberty Week ties into the overall purpose of the incoming Liberty Village, for which ground was broken in Hurricane last summer. Inspired by the American Village in Montevello, Alabama, Liberty Village is set to cover 40 acres and will feature replicas of historic buildings from the time of the nation’s founding.

Teachers dressed as historical figures like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and others will teach youth and students about American history and the founding documents.

While activities related to Liberty Week were not described in detail during the county commission meeting, Commissioner Victor Iverson noted an extensive collection of American artifacts will be on display on the third floor of the county’s new Administration Building during that time.

In this file photo, one of the historic American artifact shared from Glenn Beck’s collection, St. George, Utah, July 1, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Leavitt added that that particular collection is valued at $75 million and will have guided tours to help people understand the significance of the pieces therein.

Those who attended a showing of media personality Glenn Beck’s collection of rare documents and classic Americana at the St. George Tabernacle last July will have an idea of the kind of items that may be found in the collection to the shared during Liberty Week.

The commissioners voiced their support for the event and the hope that it will help Washington County become known as a place that loves America and the Constitution.

“I think a lot of people in the coming years are going to hear about Washington County being ‘America’s county,’” Iverson said. “That’s something we as a county commission have decided to focus on and United We Pledge and the coming Liberty Village is going to be a big part of that. I’m pretty excited about this.”

Commission Chair Adam Snow agreed.

“If you look around the county and read the news, you see so many places that run from the foundation of the country and run from our roots,” he said. “That will not happen here. We will celebrate and champion … the foundations of our freedom and liberty.”

The purpose of the resolution for Liberty Week is to put it on the record that the county is a sponsor of United We Pledge and Liberty Week, Iverson said.

Canyon Media, the parent company of St. George News, is also among the event’s sponsors.

L-R: Washington County Commissioners Victor Iverson and Adam Snow, St. George, Utah, March 7, 2023 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Following the meeting, Iverson told St. George News that the support the county is offering is more of an in-kind nature rather than monetary. However, that didn’t mean the county wasn’t funding aspects of United We Pledge’s vision.

A following resolution passed by the commission gave $1.3 million in transient room tax revenue – collected tourists dollars – to the Liberty Village for the construction of a replica of the original Green Dragon Tavern. The tavern is tied to the beginnings of the American Revolution and will be among the beginning handful of replica buildings built at Liberty Village.

In addition to the $1.3 million, the county also granted the project around $450,000 to go toward design work related to the replica tavern.

Leavitt said they anticipate having the Green Dragon Tavern and three other replica buildings built for use by Constitution Day, Sep. 17, 2024.

In other news, the county is funding other projects and events with tourism revenue.

Among these items was $2 million toward the “Horizon, An American Saga” film project from Keven Costner, who is credited with writing, directing and starring in the film. Parts of the film project are to be produced in Washington County, which the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office estimates will bring $90 million into the area.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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