There were July 4th celebrations throughout the area today. I went to Monticello’s 45th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony. So did Rick Sincere, who provides video highlights of the event, including a good chunk of Sam Waterston’s address. And Sylvia’s family took part in the Earlysville parade, and provides photos of some of the other participants.
There seemed to be a lot going on in Cville this year, and I missed all of it! The fireworks here in Richmond were rather boring, unless you count the random drunk people that recognized me as a security guard from a convention last month…
Sam Waterson – doesn’t he do ads for cheesy financial services on TV? On the inspirational scale, I would rate him about 0.001 .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sam_Waterston_at_the_44th_Emmy_Awards.jpg
well, his comments were interrupted several times by applause and he got a standing ovation which doesn’t often happen. His connection to the event is as a first generation American. If you can find a transcript you’d change your tune I think.
And you should have checked-out his full wiki entry:
Personal life
An active humanitarian, Waterston donates considerable time to organizations such as Refugees International, Meals on Wheels, The United Way, and The Episcopal Actors’ Guild of America. Waterston, a practicing Episcopalian,[4] narrated the 1999 biographical documentary of Episcopal civil rights martyr Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Here Am I, Send Me.
A political independent, he is a spokesman for the Unity08 movement, which seeks to run a non or bi-partisan presidential ticket in the 2008 U.S Presidential Election.[5]
From what I saw, bicycling home across town at midnight, and from what I heard: Charlottesville and Crozet were both awash with illegal rockets, firecrackers, and other ‘real’ fireworks on the night of the 4th. I had my own share for certain, though I was timid about firing rockets in residential neighborhoods. On and around Main street, there was no such timidity.
I’ve had my own dust-ups with the police as a teen about firecrackers and I certainly don’t advocate prohibition (though I’m a bit worried about California this year.) But given VA’s and NC’s laws, where are all these rockets coming from? Or: Is prohibition on the way out?
blam!
-M