Decked out in a dark-blue suit and tie, Haron Mulamba stood outside of Capitol Theatre for nearly three hours in mid-90-degree temperatures Thursday waiting for doors to open.

A light sweat rimmed his forehead as he stood flanked by his son and daughter and more than 500 other neatly dressed Central Washington residents hailing from 42 different counties and waiting to become U.S. citizens on the eve of Independence Day.

An entire block of South Third Street was closed as family and friends of those about to be naturalized waited in the street and nearby Millennium Plaza.

"We are delighted," said Mulamba, a physical therapist from Kenya who now lives in Moses Lake. It is, he said, an honor to finally become a citizen of this country.

A woman selling smoothies passed through the crowd, and several people were gathered in an alley, where a shadow provided shade. Others used notebooks and fliers to fan themselves.

After doors opened, the crowd filed into the air-conditioned theater, where they took their seats in front of U.S. Magistrate James Hutton, who conducted the mass swearing-in of 518 new citizens. A huge American Flag served as a backdrop.

The relatively large ceremony even lured state Sen. Curtis King and Rep. Mary Skinner, who congratulated the crowd and offered a brief history on the importance of the Declaration of Independence and the risk the 56 signers took in pursuit of freedom.

Skinner told the crowd to "honor, uphold and cherish" their freedom.

"And never take it for granted," she said.

Afterward, a woman directed new citizens to a nearby booth to register to vote.

Mulamba, whose daughter, Pauline, was also sworn in Thursday, said the rest of his six-member family plans to apply for citizenship next.

About 13 years ago, he said moved his family from Kenya -- where a poor economy has been further hobbled by corruption -- in hopes of getting a shot at the American Dream.

In Kenya, he said he was just one of many professionals struggling to find work in an ailing economy where public funds for higher education are drastically lacking and few colleges and universities exist.

"There are very highly educated people, but they have no where to go, no jobs," he said. "So they're trying to find a way out to greener pastures."

Here, he said, citizenship offers him the stability to provide for his family and see his children through college. One is attending Central Washington University in Ellensburg while the another is going to Spokane Community College.

For longtime Toppenish resident Ruben Bierto, becoming a U.S. citizen means having a voice in government.

He left Guanajuato, Mexico, with his parents 35 years ago, and quickly became well-known in the Hispanic community here after starting a radio career with Spanish public radio station KDNA in Granger.

He remained here under a work visa, but he said seeing his wife come home with patriotic buttons after voting in elections always struck a chord with him.

"And I'm over here like, 'Man, why don't I become a citizen?'" he said. "If you're going to live under the roof of the United States, you need to have a say in government and vote."

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.