LYNN, Ala. – The Town of Lynn hosted its annual Fourth of July event Friday night at Lynn City Park, and there was plenty for everyone to enjoy. A trio of waterslides delighted children, and a crowd enjoyed the fireworks display later that night.
It was the first time Lindsey Hallmark attended the event, and she shared what Independence Day means to her.
“My reason for coming here was just to hang out with the community, play and watch fireworks,” she said. “Independence Day is very special to me. We celebrate big every year for Independence Day.”
Lynn Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Derreck Cagle shared, “They’ve been doing this event for five years. This is a community get-together, just something for the kids to do. Their parents come out and let them enjoy the water and the fireworks, to get the community involved.”
Continued Cagle, “Independence Day means everything to me. It’s why we’re free. It’s why we live where we live. Without Independence Day, we wouldn’t be free Americans. It means the world to us.”
Cagle’s wife, Bekah Cagle, talked about the event, saying, “My husband is the assistant fire chief, so he helps a lot with this event. This is the first year that the town did the waterslides, and this year has been a really good turnout compared to last year. The town is trying to make it a little bigger each year for our citizens. Since we’re the only one in our area that’s having their fireworks show tonight, there’s been more people come. We normally end up having our celebration the same night as Haleyville or Double Springs, so it’s normally just hometown people that are here. But we have seen a lot from surrounding communities today and that’s awesome.”
She added, “Independence Day is very special to my family. It’s one of our favorite holidays to celebrate. I think everyone should celebrate America’s birthday. We’re thankful for our country.”
Lynn Mayor Earl Gilbert and council member Alan Barnett talked about the event and what the Fourth of July means to them.
“Like everybody else, I’ve got on my freedom hat and red, white and blue on the back of my shirt, so quite a bit,” Gilbert said. “We wouldn’t be able to have this if some of the people hadn’t gone and fought and died for us, so it means a lot. To this event, we’d be lucky if we got 75 people. When fireworks come, this whole place is filled up, around 500 to 600 people. It was better this year because we’re the only one doing this tonight around this area.”
Said Barnett, “Independence Day means everything to me. If it hadn’t been for the people before us, we couldn’t do this today, so I’m glad we live in America. I’m glad we live in this part of the country. We get to do what we do, have fellowship with our family and friends, and that’s priceless. I think the attendance was good. That time of year, people are away from home and out of town, but to get the turnout that we got, I’m thankful for it. We’d love to have more, and if we don’t, that’s OK too. We’re doing it anyway for the few that’s here and appreciate it.”
Copyright 2022 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
