Old Salem Museums and Gardens is hosting a naturalization ceremony today. The museum says the site of the ceremony is the same spot where the first official July 4th celebration in the country took place in 1783.
Luis Lobo will give the keynote speech at Thursday's naturalization ceremony, which is conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Lobo himself was naturalized twelve years ago. He says it makes perfect sense to hold the event at Old Salem on the 4th of July.
"It is the most American of ceremonies because that's what this country is,” Lobo says. “And what's so important is, these people, just like the people of our history, chose to call this country home. We chose to be Americans."
The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Admission is free. Some 50 people are expected to become naturalized US citizens.