DEMOPOLIS &8212; Heads will bow. Knees will bend. And believers will pray.

That&8217;s the short version

for today&8217;s National Day of Prayer, an event where people of all faiths are encouraged to pray.

The event starts at 12:10 p.m. at the City Landing, with a series of pastors praying for city elections, national elections, leadership and other goals for the country. The public is invited.

The event will last until 12:50 p.m. One of the last parts of the event will come when participants take a small amount of salt and toss it into the Tombigbee River.

The National Day of Prayer calls on the U.S. to reaffirm the role of prayer in society and to respect the freedom of religion.

A year ago, the observance was seen as a time of healing following the shooting deaths of 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley will speak on the steps of the state capitol at noon today.