In McLeod County, we have no parades, fireworks or ceremonies recognizing Independence Day. That’s why it’s important that we write about it here.

Without our nation’s independence, there probably wouldn’t be any reason to celebrate the other patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, Flag Day and Veterans Day. Instead, we’d likely be paying allegiance to the British monarchy.

But we do have our independence, and celebrating it should involve more than watching explosives decorate the sky or enjoying a barbecue with family and friends.

What does our nation’s independence mean to you? This weekend, you might ponder the civil liberties we cherish and fight for. But you won’t hear much about those freedoms in McLeod County’s communities, at least not publicly.

In communities that do celebrate Independence Day, one is likely to hear politicians give speeches honoring our nation’s heritage, freedoms and people. The closest we get to that in McLeod County is when we celebrate Flag Day in Hutchinson’s Library Square in June, or when our schools celebrate Liberty Day in March. It’s rare to hear a local politician publicly praise the virtues of independence.

But wouldn’t it be great if we did have such an event? It wouldn’t have to be a big affair. And it wouldn’t even have to require politicians. Maybe it could happen at Library Square every Fourth of July, similar to the event honoring fallen veterans on Memorial Day. But this event would be upbeat and festive. And it wouldn’t have to cost a dime to put on.

Two or three speeches could be made, perhaps by a civic club leader or a high school or college history instructor or just anyone with a good knowledge of civics and American history. The speeches could praise the ideals embraced by our nation’s founders. After that, we all could sing a few songs, including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful” and “This Land Is Your Land.” Maybe it would only last 20 or 25 minutes. It wouldn’t have to be much more than that.

The point is we’d be honoring our nation’s proud heritage. And then we all could go home to enjoy that picnic, or visit a store where Independence Day Sale-a-thon Blow-Out deals are being offered.

On July 2, 1976, the year of our nation’s bicentennial, the Leader devoted the entire front page to reprinting the Declaration of Independence. It was an awesome front page. Inside the paper, we saw a brief item noting that Gov. Rudy Perpich had proclaimed Hutchinson as an official Bicentennial Community. But nowhere could we find any news of Hutchinson actually celebrating Independence Day on that day (musician Wally Pikal wasn’t even in town, as he was one of several headline entertainers playing at a huge Independence Day event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds).

That could change. Maybe not this year, but perhaps next year. If you like the idea, let us know and we’ll tell others. Celebrating our independence should be a public affair.

Editorials are written by Publisher Matt McMillan and Editor Doug Hanneman. They can be reached at mcmillan@hutchinsonleader.com [2], or hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com [3].