Historic celebration

GEORGE — The flag raised at George’s Patriotic Observance on Independence Day has only 48 stars.

“The flag we’re flying is a World War I vet’s casket flag,” said Mark Owens, who is the quartermaster for Grant County’s Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter. 

All U.S. flags made between 1912 when Arizona and New Mexico joined the Union, and 1959, when Alaska became the 49th state, bore the same eight-by-six pattern of stars. The addition of Hawaii in 1960 brought the flag to the pattern we know today.

That sort of detail is important for George, a town that may take its Independence Day celebration more seriously than any other in the Basin. The ceremony begins with a reenactment of the “Shot Heard Round the World,” the opening shot of the battles of Concord and Lexington in 1775 that are traditionally considered the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The rifle used to fire the shot at the George ceremony is a replica of the Brown Bess rifle carried by British soldiers of the time. Then a replica Liberty Bell is rung, and the flag is raised with “The Star-Spangled Banner” playing.

George, Washington, was founded on July 4, 1957, and named as an homage to the country’s first president, it’s been holding Independence Day blowouts ever since. Besides the ceremonies, the festival included a parade up and down Montmorency Boulevard, the Cherry Bomb Fun Run and performances by musicians and a magician. 

A fireworks show rounded out the day.

A traditional cornerstone of the festivities is an eight-foot-by-eight-foot cherry pie assembled by local volunteers. The design of the top crust changes from year to year; this year’s featured fireworks and a silhouette of George Washington, along with words from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution: “A more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty.”

Past ceremonies at George have included addresses by local elected officials and candidates for office, but those were dispensed with this year, according to Debby Kooy, manager of the George Community Hall and one of the festival’s organizers. Instead, war correspondent and podcaster Chuck Holton spoke on the values America represents.

“Our founding fathers founded this country on a foundational precept that we call the Golden Rule, ‘Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you,’” Holton said. “Treat people the way that you would like to be treated. And I think many of us, if you haven't traveled a lot, don't realize that there are many countries around the world where that is just not the case … It doesn't matter if they're poor countries or rich countries, Western countries or Eastern countries, you can find countries all across the globe where the foundational precept of their culture is just the opposite … So when you come back here, you feel something completely different: that we don't always live up to that ideal, but at least we still have the vestiges of it. And that has ripple effects throughout American culture.”

Holton, a former U.S. Army Ranger, travels to about 25 countries a year, he said, reporting on wars and disasters for the Christian Broadcasting Network and other news outlets. He’s also the author of eight books and has made two films. He spoke about the horrors of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the need for people to take individual responsibility for the culture they live in.

“You can't expect the government to help the people that are in need,” Holton said. “That's your job. That's how we create a healthy culture. It's not up to somebody else, and the things that are wrong – they don't start with somebody else. They start with me, and I get busy fixing me, and I just trust God to take care of the rest.”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

    The U.S. flag flies proudly above the Patriotic Observance at George Thursday. The flag came from the casket of a deceased World War I veteran.
  

    Four-year-old Blakely Van Dyke drives an electric car in the Fourth of July parade in George Thursday morning.
  

    Guest speaker Chuck Holton talks about patriotism and culture at the Patriotic Observance in George Thursday.
  

    A traditional part of George’s Independence Day celebration, the enormous cherry pie waits to be cut and served to the crowd.
  

    Oscar Pedeferri, 6, looks around for more candy at the Fourth of July parade in George Thursday morning.