Next Tuesday marks the 219th anniversary of the signing

Next Tuesday marks the 219th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence

‘ As Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, two men who greatly influenced the Congress that voted to adopt the Declaration, recommended, this county regularly celebrates this national holiday with parades, patriotic singing and fireworks.

William Carrigan said his family had always had fireworks in celebration of the Fourth of July. When he tried family fireworks in 1961 after moving into Avon Hall, he found they attracted people from miles around. So Mr. Carrigan graciously decided to invite the community to come view them from the grounds of Avon Hall.

A few years later the Washington Volunteer Fire Department decided to take advantage of the gathered crowds to sell a Bar-BCue dinner to those who came for the fireworks, and Mr. Carrigan expanded the evening program to include children’s games and family entertainment before the start of the fireworks.

Some time later the Library decided to hold a flea market on the Fourth of July to raise money, and thus the street fair was bom. In 1976, as part of the bicentenial celebration, the noon program in front of the Courthouse began with Waldron O’Conner reading from the Declaration of Independence and in later years from General George Washington’s dispatches to the Congress from the war front.

The Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community is trying to preserve all these traditions without losing too much money. County citizens should be grateful for the opportunity to celebrate an old fashioned fourth. Instead of carping about parking fees, consider them a contribution to worthwhile organizations. And don’t try to save money by walking into town. At one dollar a head the fees for that will quickly add up to more than the two dollar parking fee.