Independence Day

This July 4th finds us with servicemen and women celebrating Independence Day in other countries, carrying with them the creed that all men and women are created equal and endowed with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Recently, President Barack Obama announced a drawback of our troops in Afghanistan. Some of those troops will continue with their military careers, while others will transition to civilian life as veterans. I urge Marylanders to be proactive in welcoming home newly-returned veterans and to participate in helping them to transition and readjust to civilian life.

The Bel Air Independence Day Committee is looking for its 2013 "Miss Bel Air Independence Day," the official hostess for the all-day festivities in Bel Air on Thursday, July 4, beginning with the flag-raising and pancake breakfast and ending with the traditional parade and fireworks. Miss Bel Air Independence Day 2013 will also compete at the 2013 Miss Maryland Pageant in Hagerstown in late June. The winner will be chosen by interview from all eligible applicants. Applicants must be young women from Harford County at least 17 years of age, and who will not turn 25 before Dec. 30, 2013.

Happy belated anniversary wishes to Tony and Beverly Brulinski of Perring Park, who celebrated their 41st year of wedded bliss on the Fourth of July. The 9:00 Mass at St. Isaac Jogues Church on Independence Day is always a special liturgy, with parishioners gathering in the vestibule afterwards for coffee and munchkins. Pastor Marty Hammond co-celebrated this holiday Mass with Father Steve Watson , a Carmelite priest who grew up in Carney and graduated from Parkville High.

I love the Fourth of July. It's the kick-off to summer, marked by parades and fireworks, mosquito bites and snowballs. The honeysuckle bushes bloom, sweetening the hot, sticky air and mixing with the hickory from backyard barbecues. In Catonsville, the Fourth of July means lawn chairs and Mummers and firetrucks filled with candy. It is a time when we stroll down Montrose Avenue, celebrating another year and reconnecting with old friends. We shake the hands of politicians and cheer for our favorite floats.

Think you had a big birthday? Try turning 225. It was just those few short years ago that America gained its independence. And with that nice round number, big celebrations are cropping up all over the area in honor of Independence Day. Parades, fireworks and patriotic tunes will be sweeping the state. Below is a listing of nearly three dozen Independence Day events, broken down by county and then city or town. Bear in mind that with the July Fourth holiday falling in the middle of the week, celebrations will take place before, on and after the actual date.

With bells simultaneously tolling over the city tomorrow, Annapolis will join communities across the country in marking Independence Day.About a dozen churches, fire stations and other institutions will participate in the 2 p.m. ceremony.More than 200 communities nationwide took part in last year's commemoration, said Garth H. Read, president of the Annapolis chapter of the Retired Officers Association, a group of former military officers that is sponsoring the event locally."Nationwide bell ringing is becoming a way to observe our nation's freedom," Read said.

GUSH KATIF, Gaza Strip - Tens of thousands of Israelis descended on this seaside settlement bloc yesterday in the largest public expression yet of opposition to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip. The size of the gathering surprised even residents of the Gaza settlements, in which about 7,500 Jews live surrounded by 1.3 million Palestinians. There was no official head count, but the police estimated the number of protesters at 70,000.

TRY TRANSLATING the "pursuit of happiness" into almost any foreign language. It's not easy. "Life" and "liberty" have universal meanings, but the "pursuit of happiness" is a singularly AmeriM-W can construction. Yet this somewhat nebulous goal has given this country and its residents enviable vigor and vibrancy over the past 224 years. Whatever the Framers of the Declaration of Independence meant by it, today's reading of the phrase gives a license for Americans to apply themselves the best way they can. People can do their thing, whether sensible or stupid.

For many folks, the Fourth of July holiday has always been simply an enjoyable day off, a day for barbecuing at home, heading to the beach, relaxing at the pool or catching the local parade and fireworks show. But after the events of Sept. 11, lots of us are feeling more thoughtful about our national holidays. Perhaps never in our nation's history has our patriotism been so profound and evident. Yes, the many local celebrations of Independence Day will include such festive activities as pie-eating contests, turtle races, costume contests, car shows and carnivals, but there also will be solemn notes of remembrance in the patriotic parades, flag-raisings and music.

Crofton, what did you do this weekend? Whatever your activity, I hope you had fun. The weather was great.Let's hope this weekend is just as nice. We don't want any rain on our Fourth of July celebration at Crofton Elementary School on Duke of Kent Drive.The day begins at noon with the opening ceremonies, during which the winner of the Crofton Citizen of the Year award will be announced. Melodie Smith will sing "America the Beautiful."The midway will open at 2:30 p.m. with food and kiddie games to keep all of us happy.

Starting with this year's celebration, Bel Air's annual July 4th parade will follow Main Street from beginning to end, taking a slightly different route than past years, the Bel Air Independence Day Committee confirmed Thursday. In a news release, the committee said it is confident that the alteration is a "win-win-win" situation - better for the spectators, better for the parade participants and better for the volunteer staff running the parade. The parade will step off as usual at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4, at the intersection of Gordon and North Main streets, in front of the Harford County Historical Society building (the old Post Office)

The Bel Air Independence Day Committee is looking for floats, marching units, performers, antique cars, hot rods, commercial units, animal acts and more for the traditional Bel Air 4th of July parade, scheduled for Wed., July 4 at 6 p.m. in downtown Bel Air. "We've already gotten several terrific applications," Parade Chairman Michael Blum, who is running his 20th consecutive parade this year, said in a press release. "They include two floats and a musical marching unit, but of course it's only the beginning," Blum added.

Happy belated anniversary wishes to Tony and Beverly Brulinski of Perring Park, who celebrated their 41st year of wedded bliss on the Fourth of July. The 9:00 Mass at St. Isaac Jogues Church on Independence Day is always a special liturgy, with parishioners gathering in the vestibule afterwards for coffee and munchkins. Pastor Marty Hammond co-celebrated this holiday Mass with Father Steve Watson , a Carmelite priest who grew up in Carney and graduated from Parkville High.

This July 4th finds us with servicemen and women celebrating Independence Day in other countries, carrying with them the creed that all men and women are created equal and endowed with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Recently, President Barack Obama announced a drawback of our troops in Afghanistan. Some of those troops will continue with their military careers, while others will transition to civilian life as veterans. I urge Marylanders to be proactive in welcoming home newly-returned veterans and to participate in helping them to transition and readjust to civilian life.

The president's announcement of the start of Afghanistan troop withdrawals marks a new phase in the war on terror. No group of Americans will be happier about the reduction of forces in harm's way than our service members and their families. And whether or not one agrees with the reasons for the withdrawal, all Americans can rejoice in the return of our soldiers and Marines from combat. To be sure, they are not all coming home at once, and many thousands remain on the front lines.

This schedule will be in effect Monday: County offices Government offices and courts: Closed in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford and Howard counties. Libraries Closed in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford and Howard counties. Trash: No pickup in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties. In Carroll, Frederick and Harford, check with contractors. Howard has no recycling pickup. Harford waste disposal center and waste-to-energy center closed.

PARIS -- Three days after winning the Pulitzer Prize for "Independence Day," the sequel to his celebrated 1986 novel "The Sportswriter," Richard Ford stands in the doorway of his Montparnasse kitchen reflecting on fate, fortune and the randomness of life."

Laurel's annual Independence Day Celebration will be held Saturday, July 2, beginning with a morning parade and ending with fireworks at dusk at Gude Park at Laurel Lakes. The parade begins at 11 a.m., and follows a route from Sixth and Montgomery streets, to south on Fourth Street to Cherry Lane. Antique and classic cars will lead the parade and then be on display at Gude Park through 4 p.m. Parade grand marshals follow a military theme, and include representatives from the Air Force, Army and Marine recruiting offices in Laurel.

Laurel's annual Independence Day Celebration will be held Saturday, July 2, beginning with a morning parade and ending with fireworks at dusk at Gude Park at Laurel Lakes. The parade begins at 11 a.m., and follows a route from Sixth and Montgomery streets, to south on Fourth Street to Cherry Lane. Antique and classic cars will lead the parade and then be on display at Gude Park through 4 p.m. Parade grand marshals follow a military theme, and include representatives from the Air Force, Army and Marine recruiting offices in Laurel.