As we approach our biggest holiday of the summer, be very aware of our next holiday and consciously avoid calling it “4th of July” or “July 4th”. Please call it what it is: “Independence Day”.

Why is this the ONLY holiday on the American calendar that we have been conditioned to refer to only by its date? Do we wish people “Merry December 25th”, or “Happy January 1st”?

Why do you suppose this is? Is it, perhaps, because there are elements in our society who want us to forget that it’s the date on which our forebears, in an act of desperation that many considered high treason, said “enough: no more!” and threw off the chains of tyranny from their own oppressive government?

I hope you and your family will join me in pushing back against this conditioning by calling the holiday exactly what it is, Independence Day, from this moment on. The birth of our nation should never be reduced to merely a holiday without a name.

In observance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Coffee County Historical Society and Joanna Lewis Museum of Coffee County History are planning a big celebration on Saturday, July 4th, beginning at 3 PM. The celebration will take place at our historic 1871 Courthouse on the Square in Manchester, at the Main Street entrance. The celebration will focus on the historical significance of the Declaration of Independence, with speakers and music. The Courthouse and Museum will be open and free to the public. My annual presentation, with the reading of the Declaration of Independence, will be part of that celebration this year. Please bring a lawn chair and join us as we celebrate this incredible milestone in our nation’s history.

Manchester