Wasilla celebrates American Independence

In 1776 after the delegates to the continental congress signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, John Adams penned a letter home to Braintree, (now Quincy) Massachusetts.

He wrote to his wife Abigail, "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival … it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other …"

Over the next few months the declaration was circulated and read publicly. Americans celebrated whenever they heard it, despite the fact that the declaration led the country into a seven-year-long war for independence.

Americans are still celebrating, and this year will be no different. Locally, there will be a midnight fireworks show on Wasilla Lake to open up the celebration on the eve of America's 226th birthday. There will also be a parade through Wasilla's downtown business district at noon on July 4.

"I expect that it's going to be one of the biggest parades we have ever seen -- people seem to be more in tune with celebrating America's birthday," said Ed Brittingham, executive director of the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce.

Also excited about the parade is Markus Bishko of the Aurora Academy. Bishko is a music teacher and organizer of the Aurora Academy Fife and Drum Corps. The fife and drum corps dresses in costumes form the revolutionary war period, and Bishko said they plan to march in the parade.

"The reason for the period costume is too commemorate the Revolutionary War. It's the only revolution in the world that did not finish in a dictatorship. So we're very proud of America and very proud of this democracy," Bishko said.

The music will also give parade watchers a sense of what it might have felt like to have been liberated from under the thumb of King George III's army. During the Revolutionary War, the fife was used as a signaling device on battle fields, because its high shrill notes could pierce through the thunder of cannons and rifles. When the battle ended, the fife players were called upon to lead soldiers in parades. The fife's unique place on the battlefields of the revolution have ensured that its voice would be associated with patriotism in America.

"When they were called upon to get together for parades, they put together tunes made up of the different popular music of the day," Bishko said. The melody Americans know as Yankee Doodle was popular at the time, and, since then, fife and drum corps players have adopted tunes such as Rally Around the Flag that have been added to the repertoire of American patriotic music.

"Some of what you hear might not be authentic 18th century music, but it's a patriotic thing," Bishko said.

There are several good places to watch the parade, including along Nelson Avenue which runs along the north side of Iditapark. The chamber sponsors the parade in conjunction with the city of Wasilla, and the parade is followed by the city's family picnic at Iditapark, which will be at the pavilion next to Wonderland Park on Iditapark's west end. This year, there will also be a dedication of the "Path to Freedom" honor garden. "Path to Freedom" was built with private donations and public funds and is the newest addition to Iditapark.

Brittingham has a special request for parade participants this year. Last year there were two minor injuries at the parade, according to Brittingham, who said one injury was to a small child chasing candy in the street and the other was to a parade participant who was climbing on and off a float. This year all parade participants are reminded not to climb on and off floats, and parade organizers will not allow candy to be thrown.

"If someone wants to walk alongside their float and pass out candy directly to the kids, that's what we would prefer," Brittingham said. "We want to keep things safe, but we have to have the assistance of the public -- kids are so darn fast."