Ancient Family 4th of July Tradition

The South Amherst historic common, aka Fiddlers Green, will also turn red white and blue tomorrow morning

The 140+ year old South Amherst Community 4th of July Picnic is the perfect blend of a family oriented patriotic event that would have moved Norman Rockwell to get out his brushes.
  

Click to enlarge/read

Because children are the bedrock of any community.   And in this digital age of electronic gadgets, it's especially nice to see a wholesome event that brings people together in the great outdoors.

July 4th weather will also be perfect!

Happy BDay America!

Amherst Town Center 7:15 AM

South Amherst Town Common 9:45 AM

 And they're off!  For a few leisurely laps around the common:

Entering the 1st turn

Abe Lincoln (and his dog) came a calling

The rains stopped just minutes before the 5:00 PM start time of Leisure Services and Supplemental Education July 4th extravaganza at UMass McGuirk Stadium. 

McGuirk Stadium 6:00 PM

McGuirk Stadium 7:30 PM 

And of course FIREWORKS!

Umass McGuirk Stadium 9:30 PM

Smokey haze envelopes McGuirk Stadium 10:10 PM

Post event traffic was a nightmare:

Festive Family Fourth of July

South Amherst Town Common.  South Congregational Church (top left)

The historic South Amherst Common comes alive the morning of July 4th, as it has done for over 100 years, with the sights and sounds of a Children's Parade.  

Happy kids, with their awesome steeds all dressed up in red white and blue taking a few laps around the bucolic common.

Rockwell would be ever so proud. 

Freedom!

 

Commemorative flags downtown

" ... That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." 

"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose ... "

Amherst post card 1909

Born back ceasely into the past

So yes, Amherst did have a July 4 Parade yesterday.  Hundreds of parents, kids, grandparents, friends, family and their dogs descended on the South Amherst town common as they have for over 100 years to participate in the July 4 Children's Bicycle Parade, a grand neighborhood block party painted in red, white and blue.

And 30 years from now some of these children will bring their children, as the baton is passed...

Like a shining beacon upon a hill

Let Freedom Ring

Today's Springfield Sunday Republican is a perfect example of the things print MSM does right even in this instant, always on Internet age: Tailoring articles to the moment--with the moment of course being the celebration of our freedom, the birth of our great nation.

Page one above the fold (written by a Managing Editor) featured a patriotic, advance teaser for the Barnes Air National Guard air show coming up in August and on the sports front break page a typical "give 'em Hell" column from outdoor editor Frank Sousa colorfully illustrating an incident from his Harry Truman like past where he kicks a protester in the ass for wearing an American flag on their butt.

Since I once got into it with Mr. Sousa 25 years ago on the Kennedy-Thurmond mailorder martial arts weapons bill and he still buys ink by the barrel, all I'll say is my journalism professor would probably not recommend a physical reaction to folks exercising their First Amendment rights, but I can't say I disagree with his sentiments.

I remember a still popular local TV news anchor once telling me he almost covered the flag burning incident at Amherst College five weeks after 9/11, but something came up at the last minute. A few Hampshire College kids and their professor crashed that patriotic rally and threw a flag on the ground and stomped on it while chanting "this flag doesn't represent us" as another protester (all dressed in black) ignited a American flag--with that searing photo appearing on the front page of the Boston Globe.

He said he would have put down his microphone and punched one of them. Again, can't say I disagree with his sentiments--just, maybe, the methods.

And not to be left out--as Amherst seldom is--another article later about the District Attorney turning over to the Attorney General the "investigation" into blogging by Amherst School Committee member Catherine Sanderson and how it could--they hope--violate the Open Meeting Law (dare I dub this "bloggergate"?)

But with the ACLU declaring OML--even if it did apply--trumped by the First Amendment, that most basic of American rights we celebrate today, I don't think Ms. Sanderson's husband will have to learn how to bake a cake with a hack saw hidden within.