Gloucester County, Virginia, will join with other Gloucesters around the nation and globe to celebrate the second annual “Gloucester Day” on Saturday, Sept. 2.

The September date is one traditionally celebrated in Gloucester, England, and recognizes the lifting of the Siege of Gloucester in 1643. This was when that city held out against Royalist forces during the First English Civil War.

Now held on the first Saturday in September, the inaugural Gloucester Day was celebrated in 2022. The idea for the outreach came from an exchange where approximately a dozen representatives from Gloucester, Virginia, had the opportunity to meet with Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (UK), in 2018.

The exchange turned into a movement called the “Gloucester Collaboration,” which has a mission to form connections, collaborate with other communities, and learn from one another, a release said.

Like last year, churches and organizations around the Gloucesters are encouraged to ring their bells...