COMMENTARY

In 2003, Fourth of July Celebration Has a New Meaning

July 2003

By Donald J. Pfundstein*
for New Hampshire Business Review

A week ago we launched the summer. This time for real. We did it with a great flare of Americana. The Fourth of July nicely blends national pride with civic obligation. Yet it is the small town parade that best manifests what is bright and right about the United States.

Tilted flags firmly grasped by marching veterans remind us of the ultimate sacrifices of the past and those still being made every day by our armed services. These gray-haired warriors pass by straighter and more quickly than their years should allow – even if a little out of step with each other. No one cared how perfect their cadence when fighting in the hills and jungles last century. Thank you!

In the view of beaming parents, Girl and Boy Scouts pass by tossing candy to younger bystanders. These scouts will later use their newly acquired civic skills to “give back to the community.” After the grand procession, they will man the church and other non-profit sponsored concessions and children’s games. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and strawberry delights and treats of all types tempt the crowd in my home town. It’s a good day, even when the weather is a bit threatening.

Youth sports teams swarm by like an unruly cackle of noisy geese. T-shirts bearing the names of reliable local sponsors are as important to the children as the smartly-pressed, dress uniform is to the police chief. The town band lumbers past, playing a number you can’t identify. No one seems to hide the fact that the members are more comfortable playing sitting down. A high school marching band would be a real energy booster. Yet no one respects music more than this experienced ensemble.

Shiny red fire trucks scream near the end of the march. Proud engines from surrounding communities staff each others’ processions. This is done not only to enhance the visual and audio effects, but to demonstrate the compact necessary to fight fires in each others’ communities. Real loud. Volunteer drivers pull on air horns and flash banks of brilliant red lights. You cover your ears and try not to stomp on youngsters scurrying for pieces of thrown penny candy.

Fireworks seem to be making a comeback. Not only are we buying more flags but it appears as though we are watching more aerial displays. Sometimes the haze of smoke actually controls the mosquitoes for a while.

It is our Independence that we celebrate each Fourth of July. The Declaration thereof was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. A day earlier, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail “… It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” Adams would be proud of our small town parades.

James R. Heintze, librarian at American University, maintains a comprehensive Web site on Fourth of July Celebrations. If you enjoy American history or little-known tidbits of Americana check it out.

Maybe our heightened insecurity makes the traditional celebration more meaningful. Americans have a proud history of coming together in the face of external threats and attacks. Certainly we are under siege now.

Community celebration helps reassure us that we are a good and honorable people. It helps teach the young core-, not simply campaign-, based values. The festival atmosphere in some small way pays respect to the heroes who enabled and protect our freedoms. The celebration gives the rest of us a break from our everyday marathons. It’s OK to feel proud. We may have our differences. Our leaders may fight over who is closer to the voter, the public, the taxpayer. But try watching the budget donnybrook which unfolded in Concord in a country without our liberties. Our system is still the best and we should be proud to celebrate its origin. I hope you enjoyed the Fourth.

*Donald J. Pfundstein is admitted in New Hampshire.

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