Go Fourth!

Independence Day coming up on Saturday, will highlight unusual year

The Fourth of July falls on a Saturday this year, and Abbeville County residents are likely to blend weekend fun with activities we usually associate with Independence Day.

Up at Lake Secession, there will be fireworks and a boat parade. Both are Fourth of July traditions here in Abbeville County.

The fireworks this year will be on Thursday, July 2 at 9 p.m. with a rain date of July 3.

The fireworks, which will be launched from the Lake Secession dam, are being presented through corporate and member donations by the Friends of Lake Secession.

No parking will be permitted on the dam during the fireworks display, according to the Friends, who were formerly known as the Lake Secession Rocky River Property Owners Association.

The boat parade, meanwhile, is scheduled for July 4 at 1 p.m. at the boat ramp at Lake Secession, according to the Friends.

Here in Abbeville County, a number of local government offices will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of the Fourth of July holiday, with normal business hours resuming on Monday, July 6.

That includes offices of the City of Abbeville, Abbeville County government, the Town of Due West and the Town of Calhoun Falls.

Put your brave foot forward

Like the rest of the nation, Abbeville County residents will be celebrating Independence Day in a year which at least a few of us wish would simply go away.

A pandemic, civil unrest, a shattered economy -- these may cause a few people nationwide to celebrate the Fourth with just a touch of irony.

Steve Miller sang "Livin' in the USA" back in 1968, another year when the country's fabric seemed torn and frayed.

This year it takes courage to be "livin' in the USA," but back in 1776, it also took courage to be creating the USA.

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence had to be brave. If the British had won the Revolutionary War, they might have been hanged as traitors.

These days, we are apt to turn on the TV and find that just when we thought it could not get any worse, it has done just that.

When that happens, we might want to think about the revolutionaries we call the Founding Fathers.

We could also call them models of fortitude.

So, with apologies to "Star Wars" fans...

May the Fourth be with you!