• The Wall Street Journal, Friday, September 21, 2007 11:16 AM

An idea to get millions of Americans across the country to participate in a National Wave--simultaneously twirling above their heads a red, white and blue towel called the "Official Uniting Towel of America"--appears to be gaining traction. The event is slated for Friday, July 4, 2008, at 9 p.m. Eastern time, before most local fireworks go off on the East Coast and at a decent hour in the West.

Two old friends who conceived the plan feel the nation is divided more than ever over the war and politics. The idea crystallized in the small town of Freedom, Pa., which is being touted as the official birthplace of the National Wave. The originators have recruited area businesses to be sponsors. They've trademarked "National Wave" and "Official Uniting Towel of America" and hired an ad agency to spread the word.

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan is the official unpaid spokesman for the movement. On Labor Day, he unveiled a two-story electronic sign in Freedom, marking the days, hours and minutes until the event. He stood on stage with a wave mascot--a student wearing a nylon 4-foot-tall replica of the Official Uniting Towel--and pressed a crowd of several thousand people to wave commemorative towels.

Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »