Another summer weekend is packed full of events from one end of the county to the other. There are three today that we mention in particular for a thumbs up:
An open house today to honor Jim Berry, retiring president of Roger tory Peterson Institute of Natural History starts at 10 today and runs until 4 p.m., with a ceremony scheduled for 10:30. The reason we mention this event in particular is that Jim will lead a birding and nature walk after the program. It it's raining, he will lead a tour of the Peterson collection. This is not to be missed.
If it has been a while since you have had the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow Americans to pledge your allegiance, you'll have a chance to do it this morning in some very good company when the flag is raised at the new Veterans Memorial Park in Jamestown.
Unfortunately, you will have to decide between Berry's nature walk and the dedication of that park. The ceremony begins at 9:45 a.m. at the veteran's park at East Second and East Third streets, where the flag will be lowered and readied to be hand carried to the new park on West Third at Harding Avenue. There, at about 10:45 a.m., the flag will be raised and a program will follow.
We give a special thumbs up to Ron Cotten, chair of the Veteran's Memorial Commission, and the other vets involved in the ceremony.
When asked why there was not yet a flag at the new veterans park, Cotten has answered, ''Well, you don't just raise the flag and say, 'This is now Veteran's Memorial Park.' It has to be done by ceremony. You don't lower the flag forever on one pole without a ceremony. And, you move it ceremoniously.''
Yes, and we must always honor those ceremonies, those traditions that bind us together as a people, as Americans.
We finish up with the bluegrass concert this evening at the Busti Gazebo across from the fire department. Take a lawn chair and be there by 7 p.m. for a two-hour free concert by Wind River Blue Grass Band. There simply is not a better way to end the day.
On an entirely different note, thumbs up to the idea of turning the tables on those among us who file goofball lawsuits based on conspiracy theories. The latest is in Alaska where Gordon Epperly has filed a suit in Juneau Superior Court demanding the state Division of Election obtain a physical, "verified" copy of President Obama's birth certificate before allowing his name on the ballot there. Epperly also says in the lawsuit that Nancy Pelosi has no right to run for office because "There are no provisions in the Constitution of the United States that grants Women 'Political Rights' of Suffrage to hold any Political Office of the United States Government."
All right then. Let's demand in return that he present verified proof that, hmmm, well, let's see - how about proof that he is not a Martian mysteriously conceived in his earth-mother's womb and raised to think he is human.
That ought to be about right.