Happy Birthday America! Next Friday you turn 249 years old, and while we have been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty, we just wanted to let you know you don’t look a day over 200! It’s been a wild ride the last hundred years for our country.
In 1876, America celebrated its centennial with the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, featuring the debut of the telephone and the unveiling of a massive Corliss steam engine. The year was also marked by the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where General Custer’s forces were defeated by a combined force of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and the controversial presidential election between Rutherfod B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden, which led to the Compromise of 1877, a speculated unwritten political deal in the United States to settle the intense dispute over the results of the 1876 presidential election, ending the filibuster of the certified results, and the threat of political violence in exchange for an end to federal Reconstruction. You know, the good ol’days.
In 1976, as your bicentennial was celebrated, the country saw Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter defeat incumbent president Gerald Ford in the presidential election, the incorporation of Apple Computer Company and Microsoft, the debut of television shows “Charlie’s Angels” and “The Family Feud” and a blind wine tasting competition in Paris where California wines defeated French wines knows as The Judgement of Paris.
As we march towards the country’s tercentenary, a mere 50 years away, who knows what events will mark that occasion. In between, there have been leaps in science such as the development of the internet. Starting as a US Department of Defense project, the internet transformed communication, information access, and global interconnectedness. This has led to the rise of social media, giving people the ability to argue with total strangers over the color of dress – it’s gold not blue by the way – across vast distances. And in March of 2020, the world was introduced to “Tiger King” Joe Exotic, the eccentric owner of the G.W. Zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and followed his bitter years-long feud with Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.
We survived a pandemic, tumultuous elections, Sony Pictures’ Madame Web, and the musical juggernaut that is Taylor Swift. But throughout all of this, from sea to shining sea, you, our beloved country remain strong. As a community we come together next Friday to celebrate you, oh America.
Before the 4th on Wednesday, July 2nd, SAVCO (Sedona Area Veteran & Community Outreach) invites you to be part of a powerful Sedona tradition — flying American Flags in remembrance and celebration of those who have served our country. Since 2017, “89 Flags on 89A” has proudly displayed the U.S. colors along West Sedona’s 89A corridor from Dry Creek Road to Airport Road during major national holidays. In 2020, the project expanded to Uptown Sedona with the help of the Kiwanis Club, adding 28 additional flags. It now also includes the POW/MIA Flag and the First Responders Flag in its display.
This heartfelt project was made possible through the dedication of longtime SAVCO member Ray Stueve, in partnership with ADOT, Sedona Parks & Rec, and the City of Sedona. A dozen volunteers are needed each holiday to help install on the 2nd and take down the flags on the 5th of July. It takes about 2 hours, and it’s a meaningful way to give back, connect with the community, and get a little exercise too! If interested, contact Kathryn Stillman at 202-906-9528.
Sedona Summer Splash returns! On July 4th from noon to 4 p.m. Sedona Parks and Recreation invites the community to spend the day at the community pool! Enjoy music and food trucks, free recreational swim, and giant water slides, all surrounded by spectacular red rocks. You’ll still have time to drive to your favorite fireworks show at night. Sedona Summer Splash is free of charge – food not included. Parking is available in the West Sedona School parking lots. Swim attire is required for pool use. ADA service dogs are permitted. Visit sedonaaz.gov for more information.
Fireworks are as American as apple pie, and if you’re wanting to see the rocket’s red glare head down to Cottonwood for the City of Cottonwood’s 26th Annual Fantastic Family 4th of July! Festivities take place at Cottonwood Kid’s Park from 4 – 9:30 p.m. for a fun-filled day! Enjoy FREE food from 4-6 p.m., the VFW Patriotic Salute, games, activities, and vendors! Wristbands for the inflatables will be available for a nominable fee, as well as parking at a low cost. Fireworks will begin at approximately 9 p.m. behind the Cottonwood Kids Park on 12th Street next to the Verde Valley Fairgrounds. The fun can be found at 350 S. 12th Street, in Cottonwood.
As a reminder, Community Library Sedona will be closed on July 4th to give our staff and volunteers, a moment to reflect upon the history of our great nation, and spend time with our families and the community. We will reopen on Saturday, July 5th at normal business hours. We wish all of you, a safe and Happy July 4th!
Community Library Sedona is also a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your gifts and support, just like the Friends’ contributions, allow us to provide a plethora of services and programs for the community, for free, all year long. Visit communitylibrarysedona.org/donate to make an online gift today.
As published by Red Rock News
Library News Column for July 25, 2025, by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Scheduling Coordinator