I'm 55 years old and the last time I lived in Grant County was in 1976. I was 11 years old and I had the normal childhood any boy could have. I rode my bike to school and I played on my Copper Little League baseball team, The Rattlers. I met my friends to go swimming at the swimming pool in Bayard and we spent time at the community center in Santa Clara, although we called the town Central back then. I remember so much about my early childhood in Southwest New Mexico and the 4th of July Parade is right at the top of the list.
When you think about "the 4th of July" what images come to mind? Yeah… me too! I see the colorful floats with people hanging on cheering and waving at the crowd as they whiz by at 5 miles per hour. I see the different business groups who have painstakingly taken time to put their presentation together. When I was a kid we would have gone to the butcher's market at Bailey's grocery store and gotten a roll of white butcher paper. Then we would have gotten some paint and brushes from Rosco's and painted a patriotic slogan on a sign that would be hung up with care on our little float. The sign would read something like, "America Rocks!" or "Rattlers come through with flying colors!" Our team jumped at the chance to share our love for America and our love for Americana. This is why we loved the parade!I always remember the tinge of anticipation when the first "cop" turns on his siren. The moment I'd waited for all year was finally here! To this day I get excited at the beginning of a parade at the sound of the police siren. Wait! Here comes the marching band! The marching band is another signal that the parade is en route. If you got to the parade route late then the sound of the marching band playing the fight song told you that you'd better hurry up to the curbside! I could go on and on about all of the wonderful traditions that make our Independence Day Holiday complete, but the biggest tradition was how our community rallied together at this important time of year!
You might think that all of our storied traditions have been tossed by the wayside this year. And perhaps in any other boring, little, town you might be right. But WE ARE GRANT COUNTY and we never give up! We are proud of our community and we are ready to tell others about it.
In this period of frustration and anxiety I am asking you to take some time to do something different in 2020 and start a new tradition. The Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce has decided to put together a "virtual" Independence Day parade and we are asking you to participate.
If you are a member of a baseball team, a business group, a nonprofit organization or a school group then you have everything you need to enter our virtual parade. Grab your phone and record your group and tell us why you want to "Salute to America!" Tell us who you are and what makes America the greatest country to live in. The video doesn't have to be long, only between 30 seconds and 2 minutes long. The key is to get creative! After you record your video then email it to me at director@silvercity.org before June 22, 2020. Be sure to include some digital pictures of your group so that we can put together a quick slide presentation about your team.
I guarantee that if you take a minute to put the video together you will enjoy seeing yourself in our streaming broadcast on July 4, 2020. Please be sure your video shows effective social distancing and that you are using Covid Safety Protocols. If you would rather have a professionally recorded video then let me know! We are scheduling appointments for your group to come by and let us record your presentation.
We understand that a virtual parade can never take the place of a live parade along Hudson Street, however, we want everyone in Grant County to be safe and healthy. This virtual parade is a great way to showcase all of the great people and groups that make up Grant County. I'm challenging you to submit an entry to the 2020 Independence Day Virtual Parade and help us start a new tradition.
Call me at 575-538-3785 if you have any questions or to ask for an entry form.