Here we are barreling toward the Fourth of July again, and the summer of 2009 is essentially at its peak.
The weather has been a bit weird in recent days, with cool winds, clouds, a bit of sprinkling, and in general not our typical early July heat wave. That's probably a very good thing, as any cool weather helps reduce the danger of fireworks from sparking fires a bit. But we can't get cocky -- even if we've been lucky the past year or two, fires caused by fireworks are relatively common, and we need to watch where we're lighting them off, heat wave or not.
With that reality in mind, the annual festivities planned for Bingen Point deserve more recognition.
On the late afternoon of July 4, people can head out to the Point to blow off fireworks in a relatively secure environment, as fire crews will be stationed there in the event of a fire or other emergency. The site also provides areas for families with elderly citizens or the very young to sit and watch the displays from a safe distance.
It's a wonderful concept.
The Port of Klickitat and the cities of Bingen and White Salmon work together to set up this program every year, working closely with the Bingen Fire Department, White Salmon Fire Department, Bingen-White Salmon Police Department, Klickitat County Sheriff's Office, and Skyline Hospital Ambulance. All these agencies deserve a lot of praise for the time they are investing to make this innovative endeavor a real success story for the community.
Fireworks are certainly a big part of July 4, but above all the date is a time to remember and celebrate our nation's independence from the reach of the British Empire. To their everlasting credit, our forefathers wanted to go their own way -- and not be ruled by the leaders of another country halfway around the world.
On this proud date, we celebrate the courage of a group of patriots who were determined to throw off oppression, and demand freedom as a nation and as a people.
The struggle for freedom around the world continues, and we only need to look at what has been happening in Iran to realize that, despite very different backgrounds and conditions, brave people still yearn for true freedom.
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