In an accident, here is an intentional Fourth of July

ACCIDENT, Maryland — By noon on the Fourth of July, families and their children in this Garrett County town have finished watching the annual firefighters’ parade, which stretches down Main Street and is peppered with local bands, floats, firefighting equipment and plenty of red, white and blue regalia.

This city does a great job of teaching children the meaning of this profoundly important holiday, which marks the beginning of the long and arduous journey of our ancestors that led us to independence, and of subsequent generations who have fought to protect these freedoms and rights, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice.

The day begins here at the Maryland outpost with a service followed by a flag raising at the American Legion Memorial. While there are plenty of bouncy houses, a scuba booth, mechanical bulls and craft demonstrations, and sloppy joes, hamburgers and hot dogs served up for everyone, the young people and their parents are also given a great explanation of why we are celebrating this sacred moment in our founding through history lecturers and displays of old military uniforms.

Part of this founding took place just downstream at Wills Creek, where a rather nondescript log cabin stands that served as the young George Washington’s home and office during the French and Indian War between 1755 and 1758.

We should all know that there would have been no American Revolution—at least not in the form we know it—if Great Britain had not run up a staggering debt through the war and attempted to extract money from the colonists to repay it through a series of taxes that led to the Boston Tea Party.

However, not every town or city organizes such an elaborate and meaningful parade for its citizens. Many parents, and therefore their children, have somehow lost the understanding of why we celebrate the 4th of July.

When you’re not eating hot dogs and hamburgers and working all day, all many families can think about is too many popsicles, splashing around in streams, on beaches and lakes, and the noise of fireworks.

Kylie Wyman has released a wonderful book just in time for the 4th of July, aptly titled It’s the fourth of July!that takes children and their parents through the festive part of the holiday and does a great job of underscoring the uniqueness of what it means to be an American. It underscores the rewards of hard work, the importance of kindness, the importance of being part of something bigger than ourselves, and it magically celebrates the greatness of the American experiment.

At the end of the book, young people – and I would say the young at heart – are given 13 challenges to thank our country.

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In two years on the Fourth of July, the United States of America will be 250 years old. Wyman’s children’s book is truly a great introduction for the young people in your family. The prose is magical, Monique Machut’s illustrations capture the moment, and the book really prepares young readers by introducing them to the themes of the importance of family, the purposefulness of the bonds of friendship, and the feeling of not only being part of a community, but that everyone has a role to play in improving their own.

Which, says Wyman, makes our country better.