Naturalization Ceremony
On July 3, 1996, the tradition of holding a Naturalization Ceremony during the N.C. 4th of July Festival began and continues today. The Ceremony is held during the festival on the Garrison Lawn @ Fort Johnston, overlooking the beautiful Southport Waterfront. The
Festival celebrates and welcomes these new citizens. The Brunswick Concert Band plays patriotic music as the candidates for citizenship, their families and the general public await the beginning of the ceremony. The ceremony has music, a keynote speaker, canon firings, and ends with the fireboat in the harbor spraying red, white and blue water.
After what may be a decade for some, the candidates take The Oath of Citizenship administered by Jeffrey Sapko, Raleigh-Durham Field Office Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Secruirty.
On January 28, 2009, the festival was honored to have been asked by USCIS to coordinate a Mid-Winter Naturalization Ceremony. This Ceremony is held in January at the Southport Community Building,
These two ceremonies are a partnership between the N.C. 4th of July Festival and US Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The after the ceremony reception for the new citizens and their families is organized by The Daughters of the American Revolution Brunswick Town Chapter who serve wonderful refreshments and homemade goodies.
The 2012 Naturalization Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, July 3rd at 4pm on the Garrison Lawn @ Fort Johnston.
What is the Oath of Citizenship? “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God”
Can you pass the Naturalization Test?