This is the theme for the 2017 Independence Day celebration that will be held on Tuesday, July 4, 2017.

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. Heroes are men and women. Heroes are veterans, firemen, policemen, EMTs, and lots more. A hero can be that individual that comes to your assistance when you are ill or unable to care for yourself. A hero may be a business person who sacrifices finances, time, and goods to help make someone else's day very special. A hero can be a young man or woman training for a dangerous career. A hero can be a schoolteacher that has touched numerous lives. In our family, there is a school teacher in Louisiana that stopped at the scene of a car accident and held pressure on a piece of wood that had severed the carotid artery of our youngest son until EMTs appeared on the scene. Everyone probably knows someone who could possibly be thought of as a HERO.

I visited the University Golf Course at Scott Park in Silver City this afternoon. No, I wasn't playing golf or drinking at their bar when I should be working. I went to the local golf course to check out a wall that is dedicated to honoring a special golfer from this area, Mr. Billy Casper. Mr. Casper wasn't just a good golfer... he was one of the best. Besides being a great golfer, he was a tremendous human being who cared about others in our community. Billy Casper promoted and played in many golf tournaments raising money for the Gila Regional Hospital Foundation. He raised lots of money that allowed many health-related items to be purchased and constructed. One of the pictures at the local golf course shows an ambulance with a sign on it stating that the ambulance was financially supported by Billy Casper's golf tournament. Besides being a golf legend, some would say Mr. Billy Casper is a hero for all his charitable work.

So who are your heroes? On July 4, 2017, we want to celebrate the Heroes of southwest New Mexico. We want to say thank you for being a truly special person or making a huge impact on lives around you. We want to show our gratitude to the heroes who have saved lives, changed lives, or maybe those heroes who are training right now to be the doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, soldiers or airmen of tomorrow.

We will enjoy a full day of good food, good music, and lots of fun in Gough Park. There will be a Fourth of July Parade that follows the traditional route of Pope Street, Bullard Street, Broadway Street and Hudson Street in downtown Silver City. As the evening grows dark, the First American Bank/Town of Silver City Fireworks Show will explode in the crisp evening air.

To print a parade entry form application or a Gough Park Vendor Application, go to the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce website - www.silvercity.org. Click on the Events Calendar button and then go to July 4, 2017. You will find the forms on that page.

If you have questions or comments, you can contact the Silver city Grant County Chamber of Commerce at info@silvercity.org or call us at 575-538-3785. We hope you will join us in downtown Silver City on Independence Day, 2017.