A tour of historic Mill Hill burying ground.

Photo Credit: contributed

Visitors attend the 2009 Let Freedom Ring ceremony.

Photo Credit: contributed

Clear some space between your July 4 picnics and beach time to add a dash of history. The Norwalk Historical Society time travels with its "Happenings Around Historic Norwalk Green," from noon to 1:30 p.m. There are re-enactments, performances and more at multiple sites, all within walking distance. At Mill Hill Historic Park, (2 East Wall Street,) tour the 1835 Town House Museum where Norwalk Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel is Revolutionary War Town Clerk Samuel Grumman. Other figures, a teacher and a Colonial Governor among them, are on hand to give their historical perspective.  At noon, local historian Madeleine Eckert leads a Mill Hill Burying Ground tour, where the town's Revolutionary War citizens now hang out. St. Paul's on the Green, (60 East Avenue,) is open for a look-see as well. Started in 1737, it holds the distinction of being Norwalk's oldest same-site organization. An open house at the First Congregational Church on the Green, (3 Lewis Street) from noon to 1:30 p.m., shows off historical artifacts from its early days, including an Amistad display. The church is the oldest religious organization in Norwalk, having begun in 1652. Then, at 1:30 p.m., the Independence Day Celebration continues with a Let Freedom Ring National Bell Ringing Ceremony on the Green. A costumed Revolutionary War re-enactor then takes center stage with his reading of the Declaration of Independence. At 2 p.m., the bells around the green toll 13 times to commemorate the founding of the 13 original states. A procession heads to the Mill Hill Town House, where there are refreshments and musical performances by Norwalk's Crystal Theatre and, for those who've paid attention, some rounds of  the quiz, "Did You Know? Little Known Facts About Norwalk During the American Revolution." For more information, call the Norwalk Historical Society at (203) 846-0525 or email info@norwalkhistoricalsociety.org or visit the NHS website. The events are free.