As citizens around the nation gathered on Wednesday to protest government spending, more than 50 Butler County residents gathered in front of Greenville’s City Hall for a “tea party” of their own.

Ronald Gibson, a resident of the Searcy community, organized the local rally.

“I’ve been concerned about the country, and I saw on AFA [American Family Association] that there were going to be tea parties going on,” Gibson said. “Two weeks ago, I decided to get one started in Greenville.”

TEA is also an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already”, and several protesters had tea bags draped on their clothing and carried signs.

The rally at city hall included words from Gibson and readings from Thomas Jefferson before closing with the singing of “God Bless America” and a prayer.

“I’m tickled to death with the turnout, and we want to keep this at the forefront of the nation,” Gibson said. “We’ve got the greatest country in the world and we’ve got to protect what we’ve got.”