AMERICA!
Do you love America? Then come to Galena for the annual July 4 celebration!
Each year the Kiwanis Club of Galena plans the parade, this year set to start on Galena’s Main Street at 6 p.m. But before the parade, check out the live music and party at the Green Street Plaza. Food and beverages are provided by the G.O.A.T.S. Cycling club.
Fireworks are set to begin downtown at dusk.
For more information, call Teresa Hannaman at 608-732-8628 or email thannaman@galgazette.com.
AMERICA!
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I was disappointed to see that the parade announcements were made atop a truck from Galena Lumber bearing a confederate flag. Aside from being irrelevant to the celebration, it is racist, inflammatory and offensive. Were you promoting this viewpoint or merely condoning it?
Hey Matt:
Jay Dickerson here. I’m on the Kiwanis Club of Galena board, and I work on the website for the organization. No one on the Kiwanis board either promotes or condones treason or racism. The majority of Kiwanis board members were helping with the parade set up, getting the food stands going, working on the levee, etc. In other words, no one from the Kiwanis board was in a position to have sight of the stand until the start of the parade.
Speaking for myself, before the parade I was helping with the food stand in front of the city hall, and then getting my daughters to their 4H float. When the parade started, I was standing in front of the DeSoto House parking garage to watch. I never saw the stand, but I’d like to think I would have said something to the representative from Galena Lumber about his choice of hate speech.
I am in agreement with you–displaying that flag was not acceptable. It was not something I would even think that a business owner in a northern state would even think appropriate. I suspect he was trying to get a response. My hope is that the majority of the responses he received, would echo yours.
On behalf of the Kiwanis Club, I am sorry. This is not what we want people to remember from this event.
–Jay
I love America. I loved being in Galena for your 4th of July celebration. It was wonderful. But it was marred by the Galena Lumber Company truck with its Confederate flag on the truck that was the official sound stage for the parade.
Illinois was a Northern state. Galena is the home of US Grant and nine Northern Generals. So why in the world did Galena fly the racist Confederate flag on the 4th of July in the hometown of the man who defeated the Confederate insurrection??