Red, White and Blue #2

Towns and cities across the United States were painted red, white and blue for Independence Day. They celebrated with parades, games, and picnics. Our city concentrated the entire celebration on Sunday, 4 July. There is one town in America that has been celebrating for several weeks. In fact, Bristol, Rhode Island, is known as the most patriotic town in America. The celebration starts with Flag Day on June 14 and continues through Independence Day with speeches, concerts, carnivals, and baseball games along with bands, bagpipers, and drum-and-bugle corps marching down the 2.5 mile parade route. This quiet little town of 23,000 first celebrated Independence Day in 1785 with a church meeting where patriotic speeches given and gratitude for deliverance from the British forces. Today the population grows by approximately 100,000 visitors, and homes along the parade route in this town are more desirable than homes on the waterfront. Planning for the celebration starts the week after the last parade. The expenses for the weeks-long celebration are met by year-round fundraisers. I like the idea that the Independence Day parade was held on Monday, July ,5 to avoid conflict with church services. The people in this town obviously remember the important role that God played in the independence of our nation. There is also great patriotism and community spirit in the town. In fact, Bristol has been described as being "as if the town was created by Norman Rockwell" and the residents of having veins "filled with red, white, and blue blood." Bristol, Rhode Island, sounds like the kind of town where I would fit right in. Hurrah for people who really know how to celebrate independence! For more information on the "most patriotic town in America," read the article by Lynn Schnurnberger in Parade Magazine, July 4, 2010.