Idaho's newly restored Liberty Bell replica will go on a journey through the Gem State starting next month, following a statewide itinerary that will carry it through dozens of communities before its return to the Idaho State Capitol in November.

The tour will begin Sept. 2 as the bell departs from the state Capitol and over to East Idaho, where the bell will be on display in Pocatello at Farm Bureau Insurance Company of Idaho's headquarters, 275 Tierra Vista Drive, from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, and 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 4. The public will be invited to view and ring the bell at both sessions.

The bell will appear in Blackfoot on Sept. 5 for the Eastern Idaho State Fair Parade and in Idaho Falls on Sept. 11 for the America250 in Idaho Freedom Festival at the Bonneville County Fairgrounds.

A community event with the bell is planned in Rupert on Sept. 17 and the bell will be displayed at the Global War on Terror Wall by America's Freedom Tribute in Soda Springs on Sept. 18 and Sept. 19.

After its stops in East Idaho, the tour will continue into other regions of the state before the bell returns to Boise in November.

In November, the bell is scheduled to appear at Boise's Veterans Day Parade at the Idaho State Capitol on Nov. 14, followed by its reinstallation on the Capitol steps Nov. 16-18 and an official dedication ceremony Nov. 19.

Originally cast in France in 1950, the bell was one of several replicas distributed to U.S. states and territories under a Department of the Treasury program and it has stood at the Idaho Capitol since 1951.

Ahead of this year's tour, the bell went through a restoration that included a new wooden yoke housing, repaired hardware and reinforced steel supports.

The bell's tour is part of Idaho's commemoration of America's 250th anniversary.

For more information, visit america250.idaho.gov.