The upcoming debut Thursday marks the eleventh time she has directed the Max Williams drama, a theatrical presentation about the signing of the Halifax Resolves.

There is a simple reason for her passion for the work, which enters its thirty-ninth year this year. “Halifax has a rich history,” she said before dress rehearsal Monday night. “It's an important history, one that's not being told in history books.”

(First for Freedom begins Thursday at 8 p.m. at the 4-H Rural Life Center on Highway 903 in Halifax. It will also run Friday and Saturday. There will be performances on July 3,5,10,11and 12. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and groups of 15 or more; and $5 for students. There are also nightly specials. Thursday is $5 for Halifax County Arts Council members. Friday is $5 for church members by bringing a bulletin from the previous week's service. On Saturday scouts and their leaders in uniform are admitted for $5. On July 3 veteran admission is $5. On July 5 Masonic Lodge member admission is $5. On July 10 rising fourth through seventh graders are admitted free with a report card and paid adult. July 11 is another church night and on July 12 motorcyclists will be admitted for $5 on Bike Night. Call 252-308-7910 or visit the First for Freedom website for more information. Additional photos of the dress rehearsal may be found on our Facebook page)

Many people she encounters have no idea why April 12, 1776, is on the North Carolina state flag.

First for Freedom, she said, helps keep that history alive. “I think we should be proud. I think everyone in Halifax County should be proud of this history.”

This will be the third year the play has been presented since Williams' death, King said. “He was a history teacher. He felt like the story needed to be told. The history needs to be remembered.”

A musical scene.

Jeff Pittard, who is president of the Halifax Resolves Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, will be appearing in the production for the first time, playing Cornelius Harnett.

Like King, he believes the history of the Halifax Resolves, which became the first declaration of independence from British rule, is slowly vanishing. “Children and the younger generation are losing knowledge of the history of this great nation. They're losing an understanding of the principles and traditions that make our country the best in the world.”

King, right, and Richard Woodruff rehearse.

If all goes according to plans, this production of First for Freedom will be the last time it will be held at the amphitheater of the 4-H Rural Life Center on Highway 903 outside Halifax. The fortieth production next year is expected to return to the Joseph Montfort Theater in Halifax.