Governor Pete Ricketts is preparing for what will be a very busy Fourth of July weekend.
“Kicking it off in Douglas County with a pancake breakfast and then I’m going to the J.E. George Boulevard Parade, which is kind of a neighborhood parade around my house,” Ricketts says. “Then I’ve got parades in Ralston, Seward and Central City, and we’ll wrap it up by doing a ceremony with the hospital in Central City and doing a proclamation there.”
Governor Ricketts says it’s a true privilege to be a part of so many community gatherings, which are widely varied.
“For example, the J.E. George Boulevard Parade is a neighborhood parade where the kids have got their bikes decorated up and it’s just a few blocks long, to doing the parades in Ralston and Seward which are, or course, very big deals,” Ricketts says. “It really shows the diversity of our state. I love parades. They’re just a tremendous amount of fun.”
Ricketts says the parades also symbolize the very independence and freedoms we celebrate this holiday weekend as Nebraskans gather together.
“People come out and they’re a part of the community and we need to carry that momentum from those parades into our everyday lives,” Ricketts says. “Remember that the country we have is the country we get because we deserve it, because we’re involved in our communities. That means we have to take an active interest in our community.”
Ricketts offers thanks to the men and women in the military who are serving in the U.S. and overseas who allow us to celebrate Independence Day.
By Tyson Havranek, KRGI, Grand Island