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Local News - July 2003 |
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Patriotic themes mark ceremony |
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Parade, fireworks draw big crowds to Lincolnton By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer Democracy and freedom and the responsibilities that come with them were the overriding themes during the July 4 ceremony at the Lincolnton High School football stadium. Air Force Maj. Charles “Ched” Beam, a Lincolnton native, spoke on those subjects Friday night following the town’s annual July 4 parade. Rather than focus his attention on the military or the conflict in Iraq, Beam devoted his speech to two concepts “we should celebrate each and every day.” In a democracy, Beam said, each person has a voice in the government and can make a profound difference. The “underlying foundation” of democracy is freedom, but it comes with responsibilities and consequences, he said. “Let us not forget that the democratic way of life and the freedoms that we enjoy today came with a price tag,” Beam said. Beam pointed to the citizens of Lincoln County who have helped pay that price by serving in the military throughout the country’s history. He reminded the crowd that elected officials, law enforcement, firefighters, teachers and others also make sacrifices to preserve those values. Beam encouraged people to remember those who sacrificed in the past as they left the stadium Friday night. “Each and every day, we must not forget what it took in the past to get us here,” he said. Before Beam’s speech, people lined the parade route along Main Street, around the courtsquare and down Aspen Street toward LHS. The parade watchers wore red, white and blue beads and waved small American flags as the floats went by. Some of the biggest applause went to American Legion Post 30’s float, the first of the parade. Veterans and active duty members of various branches of the military rode on the float, which had a sign on the front saying, “Support Our Troops and Veterans.” One of the troops raised his hands in the air and encouraged the crowd to make some noise. A number of fire trucks from Lincoln County’s various fire departments illuminated the streets with their lights and filled Lincolnton with the sounds of their sirens. Wearing a top hat with stars and stripes on it, Janette Bost said she enjoyed seeing all the patriotic displays in the parade and along the sides of the street. Near the front of the parade route, Travis Morton, 8, and Casey Moody, 6, liked the horses that brought up the rear of the parade. For Emily Johnson, 7, and Vann Johnson, 9, one of the best parts of the parade was watching the Shriners race their miniature cars up and down the road. Once the parade was over and Beam’s speech was done, Dale Punch, the evening’s master of ceremonies, got the crowd at LHS to yell “We want fireworks!” three times. The lights at the stadium went out, and patriotic music began to play. A 30-minute fireworks display then commenced against the backdrop of a clear sky and a crescent moon to conclude the celebration. The winners in the parade were: · Most creative float: Hoyle Services, · Most patriotic float: North Lincoln Optimist Club, · Best family float: Marathon Realty, · Best overall float: American Legion Post 30. ————— Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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