Dear editor,
The Kable Concert Band began their 129th season of summer concerts the past Wednesday night. Concerts are held on "the campus" in downtown Mt. Morris each week. People bring lawn chairs, and there are bench seats available. Local charitable groups take turns and provide pie and ice cream for a free will donation. All ages are present.
Newcomers to the community, visitors, and many returnees show up as well. People come early and stay late to talk and enjoy one another's company. Each concert ends with an American flag being unfurled and everyone singing "Oh say can you see ...." There is a police presence, but the officer is mostly there to mingle. Little kids run around without concern for a bad stranger abducting them. Nobody is looking for a fight, and the pie is usually pretty good. I would submit that what one sees and experiences is a snapshot of democracy in action. The ideal of a democratic country is that the society will flourish as all individuals seek to maximize their potential through equal and just participation in self-determination. It's a work in process and you see the fruit each week in this small-town, mid-week band concert. A. Lincoln wondered after the battle at Gettysburg whether a nation "conceived in liberty, .... that all men are created equal ... can long endure." The question remains relevant today. Each day raises the hope of a new birth of freedom through the democratic process and a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. The proof is found in how we live with one another, care for one another, and welcome others to be with us.
-Rev. Ronald D. Larson retired clergy, Mt. Morris
