Independence Day in Plains began with a blast from the colonial past with the reading of the Declaration of Independence by three Plains residents at Fred Young Park.

Shawn and Charee Fielders, along with their son, Hunter, donned in his former Army Airborne uniform, took turns reading the 1,337 words of the historic document, which took less than 10 minutes, but the reading received a big applause by more than 70 people at the Independence Day celebration. By signing the Declaration of Independence, 56 Americans pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor," said Charee, who also read the names of each signer and told what happened to many of the signers at the hands of the British, including five who died in battle of the Revolutionary War.

Despite popular belief, Thomas Jefferson was not the sole writer of the Declaration of Independence. It was a committee that included John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Benjamin Franklin, with numerous changes by members of the Second Continental Congress.

The Fielders are members of the nonprofit organization, the "Free Americans," which were taking names for a petition that proposes that Sanders County become a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. The purpose of the proposal would prevent local law enforcement from instituting gun laws and ordinances that would override or infringe residents' right to bear arms, as stated in the U.S. Constitution. This was the second event the newly formed group has set up a table to collect signatures for the petition. The goal is to collect 1,600 signatures before presenting it to the county commissioners, said Shawn Fielders. The reading was followed by the singing of the "Star-Spangled Banner by Dolly Parton.

The Free Americans shared the event with VFW Post 3596, which held its traditional "4th of July Picnic in the Park" Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. VFW members Dave Tupper and Noel Furniss handed out artificial poppy flowers in remembrance of the ending of World War I and once again Gary Jenson cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, as he has done for the last 12 years. The VFW, which paid for all the food and drinks. Heather Allen, the event coordinator for the second year and the post quartermaster, said they served 167 people by the 18 VFW members and one auxiliary member. The post gave out 142 burgers, 96 hot dogs, and 24 pounds of potato salad.

"The event went well. With more help, the event and cleanup was much easier," said Allen, who served in the Air Force for nine and a half years. "It was wonderful having the Free Americans coordinate the reading of the Declaration of Independence. I felt as though this was a perfect addition to our 4th of July picnic," she added. The music was handled by Callie Timmer using Pandora.

The community of Paradise once again held its traditional Picnic in the Park celebration, which went from 3 p.m. to about 7 p.m. and included a potluck dinner. American Legion Post 129 purchased more than 250 hamburgers and hot dogs, which were cooked and served by Darin King, the post commander for the last eight years and an Air Force veteran.

King said everyone had a good time. Just over 100 people came and went during the event. About $30 in change was donated to the sawdust pile for the kids. King said they had children's sack and three-legged races, which some adults took part, and tug-o-war competitions with a sprinkler set up in the middle.  

Denise Moreth

LIGHTING THE SKY – Swimmers at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort watch the colorful sky of fireworks for the Independence Day celebration.

Independence Day came to a close in Paradise with fireworks at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort. The Sanders County Fairgrounds didn't have fireworks this year. Joel Holzmiller of Rocketman Pyros of Spokane, Washington, shot off 70 shells and 30 cakes nearly 200 feet in the air for 14 minutes, 48 seconds. Quinn's staff set out hoses, fire extinguishers and had a 250-gallon tank of water on a truck in the vicinity of the fireworks launch pad. Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District Chief James Russell and firefighters Branden Starika and Wade Molzahn were also on scene as a precaution. They patrolled the area after the show looking for hot embers. This is the fourth year Quinn's has provided fireworks.