On July 4, I grabbed my morning Kennebec Journal, a hot cup of coffee and headed to the porch to enjoy the start of the holiday.

I was greeted in the paper by a reprinted Declaration of Independence. It made for great reading with my morning Joe and a unique way to greet this special day.

I guess I never had read the Declaration all the way through. I did this Fourth, and it was fascinating to think what may have been in the minds of the signers and the conditions that caused such a bold, brave and risky event.

It truly made the KJ relevant to the day, and I thought the publishers did us a real service to print the Declaration.

I missed the parade, but I later saw a truly great fireworks show that silhouetted Augusta’s Fort Western in my foreground. Sitting on the grass, the cannon-like sounds from the spectacular fireworks reverberated up and down the Kennebec Valley. The brilliant colored flashes cast a light on the fort and city that seemed to cap the significance of the day with a sound and light show that somewhat mimicked some nights of the Revolution, or at least I imagined.

I also appreciated that our mayor and council did not scratch the fireworks to save some precious budget money. It would have been an easy call.

I was proud of our city on July 4 and I was encouraged that with all the trauma and disappointment around our nation, living in the shadow of Fort Western is a comforting and fine place to be.

Ron Lovaglio

Augusta


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