Above / Shortly after dusk at 9:30PM, Fri., July 4, the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District will host the annual fireworks display at Frontier Sports Complex. Click here to find details on an earlier PN Post. Celebrate safely.
PN Publisher’s Commentary
Simply put, here’s hoping you agree that every Independence Day is profoundly engaging.
To us, the Fourth of July is more than the Patriotic Band Concert in Central Park, the Freedom Ruck Walk, neighborhood parades and backyard barbecues or the spectacular fireworks at Frontier Sports Complex—it’s many moments of gratitude for a freedom that was hard-won by individuals who risked everything during the Revolutionary War. Every July, that history of memorable milestones from back in the 1770s is revisited, bringing folks together in a way we’ve come to appreciate every single day of the year.
With all the fast-changing happenings, certainly recent events are evidence that America’s servicemembers are truly among the best of us. We could not live safely without their service and sacrifice.
And we wonder.
Last month I attended a meeting when the host asked everyone around the large table to recall a favorite Fourth of July fireworks display. Almost instantly, I realized my short answer was a dud.
I failed to communicate the significance of the 4th of July that started on a blanket with my family along the White River in Muncie, Indiana. For years, Mother popped popcorn and filled a thermos with fresh lemonade, and we set close enough to see the ground displays of sparkling pinwheels as well as the bursts from the sky set to patriotic songs.
Fast forward to 1976. As a young adult living and working in New York City, the brilliant fireworks that exploded for about 30 minutes from a barge over New York Harbor during America’s Bicentennial are forever emblazoned in my mind.
Though our family has lived in Naperville for nearly 33 years, my childhood desire to travel every summer was made possible because both of my parents came from large families.
Combined, their families totaled 18 siblings; aunts and uncles who lived throughout Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Some lived on farms, some in cities and some on lakes—all great places to visit in July. And if you know Indiana, you know in addition to corn, the state is known for fireworks!
Several times Fourths were celebrated at my mom’s sister’s house on Lake Freeman near Indiana Beach. One year when time came to find a spot to watch fireworks blast from way out on a pontoon, it was chilly. My Aunt Frannie and my folks huddled together, sharing a blanket. I don’t recall their creative inspiration, but my dad, mom and aunt portrayed the “Three Wise Monkeys,” acting out the Japanese proverb, “See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.” I cherish that framed photo, a sentimental daily reminder of the freedom that lighted the sky that night, too.
Before moving to Naperville, our Penick family of five lived in Chatham, N.J., just down the highway from Washington’s Headquarters in Morristown. Visits to the national historic landmark in the summer showcase General George Washington and the Continental Army’s winter encampment of December 1779 to June 1780. If you’re ever in that neck of the woods, stop there.
Chatham also was close enough to Philadelphia, PA, for day trips to Independence Hall and the Franklin Institute. Built in 1732, Independence Hall is where both the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the U.S. Constitution (1787) were debated and signed. And the iconic Liberty Bell is encased outside.
Looking back, visits to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, also helped shape my love for country. Carved between 1927 and 1941, the monument features 60-foot granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, Mount Rushmore represents the nation’s birth, expansion, preservation and development. Located in the Black Hills—sacred land to the Lakota— it’s layered with symbolism and natural history.
One summer I worked at Mount Rushmore as one of 100 college students. Serving at the “Shrine of Democracy” taught respect for all humankind and accepting differences in this great nation, enhanced every time we students performed “This Land Is Your Land” during the evening illumination of the sculptures.
Years later, our Penick family visited the Black Hills in 1988, the year of the wildfires in Yellowstone, a time that continues to ignite poignant memories of interconnectivity and natural wonders during a stop at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, designated our nation’s first national monument in 1906.
These days “we the people” throughout this land are being put through a pretty strong social-educational process. Rebellious distractions and the fast pace to respect new ways to communicate make it sometimes tough to pay attention, develop unique understanding or even to think critically about our nation’s history.
Perhaps save about 10 minutes to read the Declaration of Independence written by 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson, mindful that he presented the draft of what would determine a new nation in the days before July 4, 1776.
The historic document is easy to find on the internet. It’s also featured in the Freedom Shrine on the backside of the Naperville Municipal Center.
Let’s celebrate our freedom of expression. Welcome inherent creativity. Celebrate safely. God bless America.
Again, thanks for reading!
– Stephanie Penick
PN Publisher
One more thing…While putting together these Independence Day memories, space in print limited my expressing heartfelt gratitude for the acquaintance of Benjamin Black Elk, an ambassador for the Lakota people who promoted and helped to preserve their culture every day at Mount Rushmore when I worked there. More than likely, tourists who visited Mount Rushmore in the 1950s and 1960s had their photos taken with Ben Black Elk. For some reason, I don’t have a photo; yet, I have his signature on a certificate that recognizes my service for one summer season at the Shrine of Democracy. And it seems like yesterday.
