Residents celebrate Independence Day

    Independence Day falls on a Sunday this year, and many businesses will take Monday off to make for a three-day weekend. Washington residents will enjoy the Fourth with their families and watch the fireworks Sunday night at the fairgrounds. For some residents, the weekend will not be all fun and games. Rich Crull said that he will have to do some housework this weekend.

    ?I?ll be doing ?honey-do? chores,? said Crull. ?We?re going to pull some weeds, and then I?ll have to clean the carpet.?

    Crull said that he plans to relax a little bit in between his chores.

    ?We hope to take a motorcycle ride sometime this weekend,? he said. ?We also hope to get out to see the fireworks on Sunday.?

    In years past, Crull said he went to his mother?s home to celebrate Independence Day by having a picnic. He said it is important to observe Independence Day and reflect on the liberties Americans enjoy.

    ?I always think of the flag, our independence and our freedoms,? said Crull.

    Bob Kennedy, of Washington, said he usually makes it over to the Wellman Independence Day Parade, which will be Monday at 10 a.m. Kennedy said that he?ll spend much of the weekend in Cedar Rapids with his children and grandchildren.

    ?It will be nice to relax and get away from the telephone,? said Kennedy.

    Kennedy remarked that the tradition he never forgets to honor on the Fourth is to proudly display the Stars and Stripes.

    ?I encourage everybody to fly the flag on the Fourth of July,? said Kennedy.

    Washington resident LeAnn Kunz said she and her husband, David, plan to go to the Iowa City Jazz Festival this weekend, which runs from Friday through Sunday. Kunz said she has made it a tradition to go to Iowa City for the jazz festival around Independence Day. Kunz said she doesn?t go to the jazz festival to see any particular musician ? she simply likes the music and enjoys being outside.

    Kunz said Independence Day is a good time to pause and think about the birth of the nation. 

    ?When you watch the fireworks, you think of the pride you have in America, and how you?re so happy and grateful to be living here,? she said. ?I also think it?s good to honor the people who have served in the military.?

For the full story, see the July 2 edition of The Washington Evening Journal