View from the Cab: Happy birthday, America

By Kent Casson

Happy birthday, America!

Cheers to the red, white and blue as another Independence Day week is upon us. It is a time to celebrate our freedom, gather with family and friends and stare up at the skies at night.

What would the Fourth of July be without politicians handing out freebies at a parade, old tractors driving down the road or sparklers lighting up the night sky? I recall attending a parade for as long as I can remember and my mom’s side of the family always had a big celebration which continues to this day.

Our family has a busy tradition of starting the holiday early in the morning by heading down to the Towanda flea market and parade before coming home for a brief lunch break and heading to the Chenoa parade in the afternoon followed by dinner at my parents’ farm before taking in the fireworks at Sibley. Now, that’s a big day.

Even though it falls in the midst of a busy week, it’s always good to take time to reflect on our great country and our blessings each July 4. No matter what some say, we live in the best country in the world. It is a land of opportunity and a land we love.

The Fourth of July commemorates the Declaration of Independence that was ratified by the Second Continental Congress in 1776 which established our United States of America. It was declared the 13 colonies were no longer subject to King George III of Britain and were free and independent states. Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2 and the Declaration of Independence just two days later on July 4.

Here is some interesting trivia from Wikipedia I came across for the Fourth of July:

General George Washington marked the day with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute in 1778. Ambassadors held a dinner with fellow Americans in Paris, France on the same day.

The Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration in 1781.

Salem, North Carolina claims to have had the first public event for July 4 in 1783 when a celebration was held featuring a music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter.

Independence Day was made an unpaid holiday for federal employees in 1870.

The day was changed to a paid federal holiday in 1938.

New York City has the largest fireworks display in the country sponsored by Macy’s with over 22 tons of pyrotechnics exploded back in 2009.

Some interesting facts about an awesome summer holiday. Happy Fourth!