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Elgin’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6115 is marking America’s 250th birthday with a full day of Fourth of July festivities, including a community reading of the nation’s founding documents.
The post will host events from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 4 at 118 Old Sayers Road. Live music, water slides, craft and food vendors, a silent auction, cupcake roulette and jump houses are planned throughout the day, with a fireworks show capping out the night at 9 p.m. All events are free to the public.
A new addition to this year’s celebration, a diverse panel of Elgin residents will read aloud the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution at 3 p.m. The nonpartisan program begins with attendees singing the national anthem, followed by an opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Free copies of the Constitution will be distributed.
“Today, while Americans are clearly divided on what they want from the government, some consider it important to look at who we are from an historical perspective,” VFW 6115 officials said in a statement.
Elgin resident Jacque Smith, who helped organize the reading, said she felt it important to offer a platform for the community to come together and explore the basis of the country’s democracy, engaging with the founding principles that ensure its people collective and personal freedoms.
“I think of them — the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence — as love letters from our Founding Fathers to us,” Smith said. “They were living under devastating oppression and willing to put their lives and fortunes on the line to create a better life for themselves, their families and every American who followed. I believe we owe it to ourselves to understand what an incredible gift that was.”
Sponsors of the reading include the Texas Civil Justice League, Bastrop County Republican Party, Bastrop County Democratic Party, Deborah Cartwright, Lillian Gates, Barbara B. Bogart and Mark Owen.
The post has drawn thousands to its grounds since taking over as the city’s destination for Fourth of July fireworks just a few years ago. Organizers said this year’s outing will be one to remember.
For more information, contact Tiffany Finley at 512-297-4199 or tt.finley@ gmail.com.
