From prison to pier: The unlikely wisdom of a catfisherman
Back in the 1990s, not too long after my college days were over, I often made the couple-hour drive to the Texas coast to do some bay fishing. Sometimes I went with friends, and other times I went alone. The Copano Bay State Fishing Pier was my favorite destination — a former highway bridge spanning the mouth of Copano Bay. Any fish swimming in or out of Copano Bay swam beneath that pier.
On this particular trip, I went by myself. I set up my poles and chair under a light and had a successful night of fishing for speckled sea trout. In the wee hours, I returned to my car, pointed it east, reclined the driver’s seat for a few hours of sleep, and with the rising sun, I returned to the pier for a little more fishing before heading home.
‘If I hadn’t gone to prison, I might even be dead now. Who knows.’
The fish were no longer biting, so I kept moving farther out on the now-empty pier until settling in at the end. Lost in thought, I was surprised by a big strike on the line. While reeling in, I realized I now had company. A weathered man of indeterminable age was watching me.
The fish turned out to be a hardhead catfish, a junk fish that steals bait and is armed with a wicked dorsal fin. I removed the hook and threw the fish back into the bay.
“Why’d you throw it back?” the stranger asked.
“Just a hardhead,” I replied.
“What’s wrong with a hardhead?”
“Lousy eating.”
“Ever ate one?
“No.”
“Then, how can you know? Shouldn’t you try one first?”
I laughed and told him I probably should try one someday, but for now, I’d keep pursuing trout and flounder. Still serious, he asked me, “Ever gone hungry?”
“No,” I replied, to which he didn’t respond.
He then returned to his poles, which were leaning against the rails behind me and a little way down the pier. Not too long after, I hooked another hardhead. The stranger was watching me. I was not going to keep this fish, but it seemed that offering a hardhead catfish to him was a pathetic form of charity. I’d rather have caught a respectable fish or just given him a trout from the cooler in my car.
“Want it?” I asked. He took it and thanked me as he dropped it in his bucket.
“One more, and my dad and I will have enough for supper.”
“Here with your dad, are you?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Left the women behind?” I tried to joke.
“Not exactly. Mom’s dead, and my ex left me a long time ago.”
“Where are you staying?” I followed, trying to make light conversation.
“We got us a trailer in Fulton. Dad’s sleeping in.”
About then, I caught another hardhead and again offered it to the stranger. He took it and then asked if he could throw his line on my side of the pier. I was happy to oblige, since catching hardheads wasn’t providing me any satisfaction.
“Where’re you from?” he asked.
“Austin,” I answered. “How about you?”
“All over, I guess. Huntsville for most of my adult life.” (Huntsville is home to the Texas State Penitentiary.)
“Work at the prison?” I asked.
“No. I was incarcerated there.”
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At that moment, I realized it would not only be tacky to pursue the line of conversation (“So what were you in for?”), but I also did not want to discuss a criminal’s record — alone at the end of a long, empty pier. Not knowing whether he was a car thief or a murderer, I could assume the best, quickly concede that the trout just weren’t biting, pack up, and go. It suddenly felt unsettling to recall I’d slept alone in my car at the pier.
The quiet was a little awkward, so he spoke. “You’re from Austin. You a Longhorn fan?”
“I am. I went to UT a couple years ago,” I replied. He made an expression of acknowledgement but didn’t respond.
“Don’t hold it against me,” I joked.
He now responded, “Hell, you were smart to get an education. The third time they sent me to Huntsville, I didn’t know if I was ever coming back out. I decided to use their library. Either I’d die in prison a smart, old man, or I’d learn enough to get by on the outside if I was ever released.”
“I suppose there’s plenty of time for reading." (“Third time?!” I was thinking.)
“Time for lots of stuff if you put your mind to it. That last time, I decided to set some goals for myself while I was there.”
“Goals for life after prison?”
“Yeah. And in prison.”
“Like what?”
“I didn’t want to be just another drug dealer staring at TV.”
(“Just another drug dealer,” I thought. Whew.)
“What were your goals, then?” I asked.
“Learn the law. Learn who helps the guys who want to stay clean after prison. Help those guys avoid coming back. Keep myself away from the gangs and the really bad guys. Make friends with guys who’d look out for me. Guys who study do OK in prison. I got by OK.”
I was no longer afraid of him, and he was comfortable talking about prison, so I was now curious to learn a little more about him. “So you thought you might not get out this last time?”
“Three drug convictions was a life sentence in the ’70s. All I sold was marijuana.”
“How’d you get caught?”
“Bein’ stupid.” He felt no need to elaborate beyond that.
I thought about how devastating it would be to be locked up for so many years of early adulthood. “Does it make you bitter?” I asked.
“Sometimes I want to, but you can’t let it. It’ll eat at you like a cancer. And you know what, the law was clear back then, and I broke the law. I may not have agreed with it, but I understood the consequences. If I hadn’t gone to prison, I might even be dead now. Who knows.”
“What do you do now?” I asked.
“I mow lawns, some handyman jobs, but mainly, I just look out for my dad. We can live pretty cheap.”
He went back to fishing and caught himself a hardhead. He threw it in his bucket, then started packing up to leave the pier.
“You know,” he said, “my biggest regret isn’t those lost years. It’s how it hurt my folks. They had to always try to avoid talking about family. They stopped going out much. It hurts to have to say, ‘My boy is in prison in Huntsville.’ Mom died while I was in prison, and I missed her funeral. I’ve paid my debt to society. I think I’ve overpaid. By looking out for dad, I can try to repay a more important debt.”
As he started to walk back toward land, he smiled at me and said, “If you’re ever hungry, you oughtta try a hardhead.”
I’ve caught a lot of hardhead catfish since then, and I’ve thrown every one back. But catching a hardhead always recalls the gentle ex-convict whose path in life briefly intersected with mine one morning on a South Texas pier.
Los Angeles anti-ICE protesters harass DHS agents, military members on Independence Day
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Tensions are still high in southern California as immigration enforcement operations continue in the aftermath of the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement riots last month.
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed additional resources to the region to carry out President Donald Trump's directive to arrest illegal immigrants despite local resistance.
The unlawful assembly declaration angered the crowd; they claimed it was police who made it unlawful by pushing them into the street.
That resistance did not take a break this Independence Day.
Multiple far-left groups organized protests around Los Angeles County, with protesters mainly focusing on city hall and the federal building nearby. Waving Mexican flags and upside down American flags, the anti-ICE and anti-Trump crowd spread out to the front and the back of the federal building where U.S. Marines, National Guardsmen, and DHS agents were stationed to protect the facility.
Many in the crowd berated the service members for protecting the building that rioters had targeted barely a month ago. One agitator threatened to "knock" their teeth in because he did not care about going to jail.
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Toward Friday evening protesters gathered behind the federal building to prevent federal vehicles from going in and out of the complex. This forced DHS agents and military members to come out to clear a path for the vehicles, which the crowd sometimes attacked.
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An unlawful assembly was declared after agents briefly clashed with the crowd and rioters threw bottles at the police line. With help from Los Angeles Police officers, DHS agents and military members pushed the dwindling crowd away from federal building. The unlawful assembly declaration angered the crowd; they claimed it was police who made it unlawful by pushing them into the street.
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While the protest was supposed to last until midnight, the upset crowd was forced away from the federal building by 8 p.m. Blaze Media did not observe any arrests during the course of the day.
Democrat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass used Independence Day to call for an end to the federal immigration enforcement operations.
"This July 4th, let’s remember what patriotism really means: defending our values, our people, and our Constitution. Send the troops home. Stop the raids. Stand for freedom," she said on X.
Once Trump signed the Big Beautiful Bill, the mayor again voiced her frustration with the federal government enforcing immigration laws.
"Instead of investing in housing, jobs, or health care, they’re funding fear — tearing families apart in our neighborhoods. These raids must end," she added.
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Allie Beth Stuckey: Why I’m proud to be an American
The long sun and firework-filled weekend of Independence Day has officially kicked off, and before you crack a beer or fire up a burger — you might want to take a moment to remember why this country is so great.
BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” hasn’t forgotten, and despite knowing that our country is imperfect — she’s well aware that perfection isn’t required to be great.
“We have learned probably more than ever over the past few years how corrupt so many of our leaders are. Our bureaucratic state has turned itself in many ways against its own people,” Stuckey says.
“And so I celebrate America, not because she’s perfect, not because she does no wrong, not because there aren’t some really, really big things to change and to fight for, but because I believe that the values upon which we were established are the greatest values that a country could be founded on,” she continues.
“The idea that all men were created equal, the idea of inherent rights that come from a creator whose authority is transcendent and supreme and above the government. The idea of self-governance, of freedom of speech, of freedom of religion. There is no other country in the world that has championed these things as well as the United States,” she adds.
And while these are the ideas the United States was founded on, they’re only here to stay as long as we continue to fight for them.
“It takes vigilance, it takes dedication, it takes commitment on our part to make sure that we are keeping those things. I mean, it takes, really, a constant struggle, to ensure that liberty is passed down from one generation to the next,” she explains.
“God has placed us here and now, specifically, and with purpose. And that purpose is, of course, to glorify Him, to serve him with joy, and with excellence. But part of that obedience to God is to ensure that we are making better every sphere that we occupy, that we are infusing every sphere of life with as much light and as much truth and as much goodness as we possibly can,” she continues.
“This is what Christians have done for thousands of years, not just engagement in politics and culture, but also through the creation of charities and organizations and all different kinds of entities that have served the human race,” she adds.
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Our founders signed their death warrant
While it’s easy to get sucked into the festivities of backyard BBQs and dazzling firework displays on July 4, it’s important to remember what we’re celebrating: Our hard-won independence from Great Britain and the establishment of our great nation founded on freedom.
And there’s no better way to do that than revisiting the timeless principles outlined in the document that defined America’s identity and declared her sovereignty. On this episode of “LevinTV,” Mark Levin unpacks key phrases from the Declaration of Independence to remind us who we are as American citizens.
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands, which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel to the separation,” he reads.
“Why do they keep talking about the Laws of Nature and Nature's God? Because these were men of faith,” he says, noting that even Jefferson and Franklin, who were “deists,” still “embraced Judeo-Christian values” as well as the philosophies of John Locke, who declared that “your right to life, your right to be free doesn't come from any government” or “from any man” but “from God Almighty.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
“In other words, your natural rights, your unalienable rights belong to you, no matter what — even if you live in a tyranny because they're God-given,” Levin explains.
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, that whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness,” he continues reading.
Many today have forgotten that this “is the purpose of government – to secure your unalienable rights, to provide order and law so you can exercise your free will and so your voluntary participation in the civil society increases the benefit of the whole community,” Levin says. And while “we don’t rebel at the drop of a hat” – as “prudence indeed will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes” – we will never “acquiesce to tyranny.”
Levin reminds that, originally, there was a clause in the Declaration of Independence condemning slavery, but it was removed to maintain unity among the colonies, particularly to avoid alienating Southern states where slavery was entrenched, as the revolution required a united front against Britain.
When the founders signed the Declaration of Independence, they knew the risk. “All signed their death warrant because the British wanted to collect every one of them up and execute them,” says Levin, but they signed anyway, “[putting] their lives on the line” to make the America we love today a possibility.
“This is what Independence Day, July 4, is all about.”
To hear more, watch the clip above.
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One declaration sparked a nation. The other sparks confusion.
This week, my university emailed a Fourth of July reflection that caught my attention. It claimed the “backbone of our independence” is entrepreneurship and praised secular universities as the seedbed of innovation — and, by extension, democracy itself.
I’m all for business. Enterprise, creativity, and free markets foster prosperity and reward initiative. But business doesn’t create liberty. It depends on liberty. Markets flourish only when justice, rights, and human dignity already exist. In other words, business is a fruit of independence, not its root.
Our freedoms — legal, political, scientific, and economic — grow best in soil nourished by the belief in human dignity grounded in something greater than man.
As we celebrate Independence Day, it’s worth remembering the true foundation of American freedom. The Declaration of Independence doesn’t just announce our break with Britain — it explains why that break was just. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” it says, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”
That single sentence tells us where rights come from: not from governments or markets, but from God. Human equality doesn’t rest on ability, wealth, or status — qualities that always vary. It rests on the shared reality that each of us bears the image of the same Creator.
This truth isn’t just historical. It remains the cornerstone of liberty. Without it, terms like “human rights” or “justice” collapse into slogans. If rights don’t come from God, where do they come from? Who gives them? And who can take them away?
Contrast our Declaration with the United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That document says people “have” rights — but doesn’t explain why or where they come from or why rights matter. It invokes no Creator, no image of God, no natural law, no self-evident truth or moral source beyond political consensus. Rights, it suggests, are whatever the international community agrees they are.
That’s a dangerous idea. If rights come from consensus, consensus can erase them. If governments or global committees grant rights, they can redefine or revoke them when convenient. There is no firm ground, only shifting sands.
Many Americans now prefer this softer, godless version of human dignity. They invoke justice but reject the Judge. They want rights without a Creator, happiness without truth, liberty without responsibility. But rights without God offer no security — and happiness without God dissolves into fantasy. It’s a mirage.
This project of cutting freedom off from its source cannot last. Our freedoms — legal, political, scientific, and economic — grow best in soil nourished by the belief in human dignity grounded in something greater than man.
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We live in God’s world. That distinction matters. A society built on contracts negotiates rights. A society built on covenants honors obligations to the truth. The difference isn’t just theological — it’s civilizational.
By rejecting the Creator, we don’t advance progress. We erase the foundation that made progress possible. C.S. Lewis put it this way: “You cannot go on 'explaining away' forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away.”
Explain away God, and you explain away the reason rights exist.
So this Independence Day, remember what liberty really means — and what sustains it. We’re not free because we said so. We’re free because we answer to a law higher than any court or committee. We are created equal because we are created — period.
Entrepreneurship has its place. But the American experiment wasn’t born from a business plan. It began with a declaration that acknowledged God. If we want that experiment to endure, we must not forget what made it possible in the first place.
Hot dogs and propane cost less under Trump, but one industry says tariffs will ruin Fourth of July prices
Fourth of July prices are an effective way to gauge simple cost-of-living markers for the average American. However, one industry that provides a crucial aspect of the holiday celebrations is blaming President Trump's tariffs for a possible explosion in pricing.
With the S&P 500 hitting a new record just in time for Independence Day, Trump has silenced critics who consistently moved the goalposts on the economy at every turn. First, when Trump's tariffs were implemented, some analysts predicted a global recession. Then, the marker was meeting pre-Trump numbers, as outlets like Rolling Stone still claim "MAGAnomics" are "destroying the economy."
For the Fourth of July, not only is the economy moving forward as promised, but almost every Fourth of July staple has gone down in price.
'Unfortunately, it would take decades to reshore manufacturing.'
A competitive favorite, hot dogs have seen a 2.11% decrease in the last year, according to In2013dollars.com. Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlet said the average price for a pack of frankfurters is $5.22 in 2025, compared to 2024, when they were 11 cents higher.
Firing up the barbecue to cook those hot dogs will be cheaper in Trump's America as well, compared to where President Joe Biden left the economy.
Residential propane is a category that has seen significant fluctuation since 2024, but while prices were in the basement before last year's Fourth of July, they skyrocketed at the end of Biden's term.
RELATED: S&P 500 hits new record high following months of Trump tariff doom and gloom
According to YCharts, propane was $2.39 per gallon in early July 2024 but ballooned to $2.72 per gallon by January 20, 2025. Now, the Trump administration has managed to drop that price by nearly 20 cents per gallon down to $2.52, just in time for barbecues to be fired up.
Driving to that cookout will be cheaper than it was in 2024 also. Data from the Democratic Chronicle shows that on July 1, 2024, the average price for gas was $3.48 per gallon. As of June 23, 2025, however, the average cost has dropped to $3.21 per gallon.
The Trump administration has struggled to keep gas prices down, sitting around 15 cents more than when he took office (per YCharts), but that is child's play compared to July 4, 2022, under Biden. At that time, the average price across the nation was $4.88 per gallon.
After downing a few hot dogs on the propane-fueled grill, it is typically time for fireworks. Like other items, Americans might be expecting more affordable explosions this year. According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, though, consumers can expect tariffs to greatly increase the cost.
In a statement to Blaze News, the organization said that while prices may vary depending on whether an importer or retailer was stocked before the tariffs hit, the "real concern" is how the tariffs will impact both supply and costs for the Christmas and New Year's season, as well as Fourth of July 2026.
Data provided by Executive Director Julie L. Heckman said that U.S. fireworks companies rely almost entirely on China for their fireworks, which produces 99% of the consumer market and 90% of professional display fireworks.
Therefore, the "APA is urging the Trump administration and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to consider tariff exemption or a more manageable tariff rate for fireworks."
When asked if she would advocate for fireworks manufacturing in the United States, Heckman provided a bleak answer.
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"Unfortunately, it would take decades to reshore manufacturing in the U.S. Manufacturing fireworks, which are explosives, is extremely dangerous and [requires] highly skilled workers," the APA executive said.
Heckman added, "It's also very laborious, as fireworks are all made by hand — there is very little automation. ... Even if the U.S. brought some fireworks manufacturing back, we'd never be able to produce the volume of fireworks consumed annually."
A fireworks retailer from Michigan disagreed with the idea that tariffs would cause prices to go up, saying most retailers ordered their stock for 2026 even after the tariffs were announced.
Brian Schaefer told WXMI that blaming tariffs is simply a marketing ploy to increase prices.
At the same time, Aaron Snowden, a retailer from Phantom Fireworks, told WXMI his company expects prices to increase next year.
No matter how these prices end up in 2026, it stands as a simple fact that this year, prices are down on the Fourth of July in Trump's economy, especially for those hitting the gas.
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The founders were young and so is America — really
Although America’s 250th birthday is still one year away, there is a fun, unique, and mathematical fact about this year's 249th birthday that will help illustrate just how young America is as a nation.
To do that, we can start with the age of President Thomas Jefferson on the day he died — significantly enough, on the day America was celebrating its 50th birthday: July 4, 1826. Jefferson was 83.
Just three 83-year-olds living back-to-back-to-back takes you to the year our nation was founded.
As an interesting aside, our third president was not the only commander in chief whose life was historically tied to America's birthday. President John Adams also died within five hours of Jefferson on July 4, 1826. Five years later, on July 4, 1831, our fifth president and founding father James Monroe also passed away.
Not to be too maudlin, one president was actually born on the Fourth of July. In 1872, Calvin Coolidge came into the world and would grow up to become America's 30th president.
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So what does Jefferson’s age of 83 have to do with this year’s national birthday celebration? Well, if you find an 83-year-old person living in America and go all the way back to the year he was born, you would find yourself in 1942. Now, in 1942, find a person who was born 83 years in the past, back to 1859. Finally, find a person born 83 years before that, and you arrive at ... 1776!
Just three 83-year-olds living back-to-back-to-back takes you to the year our nation was founded.
And while we're pondering this age business, it's also fun to look at the relative youth of those who signed the Declaration of Independence, keeping in mind that 56 delegates representing the 13 original colonies actually put their very “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” on the line when they signed their John Hancock on the document (and, yes, one of them was indeed John Hancock).
Also, with present-day controversy in mind, it is worth noting that none of the representatives signed using an auto-quill.
The average age of the document’s signers was 44 years, which happened to be George Washington's age at the time. And Washington's nemesis across the pond, the other George, King George III of England? He was 38.
The oldest signer of the Declaration was (no surprise) Benjamin Franklin, age 70.
Finally, by now you have probably done the math to figure out the age of Thomas Jefferson — the document’s chief author — when he signed: 33.
Now, enjoy the celebrations and get ready for the biggest one of all, next year’s 250th!
Editor's note: A version of this article appeared originally at American Thinker.
Independence Day Sounds So Much Better Than ‘Fourth Of July’
Honor our country's birthday as 'Independence Day,' rather than the far more common and clunky 'Fourth of July.'Fireworks, rodeos, and cowboy church: A town's July 4th stands for God and country
Each Independence Day, Prescott, Arizona — a Western city with roughly 47,000 people that still feels like a small-town haven — erupts with vibrant fireworks, the thunder of the rodeo, and parades that fill the streets with Americans waving the Stars and Stripes in celebration of the nation they hold dear.
Located approximately two hours north of Phoenix in Yavapai County, far from Arizona's urban sprawl, Prescott stands firm as a defender of traditional values. Faith, family, and love of country are central to the town's July Fourth celebrations, which extend over the week.
'And to play good country patriotic songs at this event in front of the entire town ... makes my soul shine!'
Some of those festivities include a spectacular fireworks show at the town's beautiful Watson Lake and the Annual Whiskey Row Boot Race, where kids and adults put on their cowboy boots for a Western-spirited dash.
John Heiney, communications outreach manager for the city of Prescott, told Blaze News, "Events in Prescott, specifically for the Fourth of July, bring residents out and visitors to our destination from miles away. Not only do we get to celebrate the 249th anniversary of our country, but we get to celebrate the freedom, beauty, and wonders of our destination. Tourism is the heartbeat of our community, and having a holiday to celebrate with our neighbors and visitors is something we look forward to year after year."
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The rodeo
The World's Oldest Rodeo is arguably the town's most notable event during the week of Independence Day. This year, from June 30 through July 6, Prescott Frontier Days will host several traditional rodeo performances and "Mutton Bustin' Competitions," where young cowboys and cowgirls ride sheep to compete for a gold belt buckle.
The town's Depot Marketplace serves as the venue for rodeo dances, where attendees can enjoy country music performances by "Lonesome Valley," a band led by one of Prescott's most well-known musicians, Sky "Daddy" Conwell.
'The tradition runs deep!'
Conwell told Blaze News, "This is the third year we played at this historic event," adding that he feels "blessed, honored, and humbled" to be a part of it.
"For a small town, Prescott has many amazing musicians and bands, and that they chose us this year makes me smile ear to ear. I've been smiling from the time I got the news!" Conwell said. "And to play good country patriotic songs at this event in front of the entire town (and cowboys and cowgirls from all over the state who always make the trek here for July 4) makes my soul shine!"
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The parades
The Kiwanis Club of Prescott, chartered 101 years ago, will put on the Kiwanis Kiddie Parade during the annual Prescott Frontier Days celebration.
Jim Tilley, the president of the Kiwanis Club of Prescott and a local veterinarian, told Blaze News that this Fourth of July marks the 84th year of the kids' parade, the local club's oldest continuous project.
Approximately 800 children, ages 12 and under, are expected to participate in this year's event, wearing Western and patriotic costumes. Those with the most star-spangled outfits and floats can win prizes.
Tilley said, "Kiwanis members and townspeople alike take delight in seeing the smiles on the kids' faces as they walk behind an official police escort in their own downtown. Many of the parents bringing their children reminisce about walking in the Kiddie Parade themselves when they were kids. The tradition runs deep!"
All of the winners of the children's parade are invited to ride on the Kiwanis float in the rodeo parade the following day — the event's 138th annual parade, described as a "wonderful tradition that celebrates our rich Western history."
Honoring first responders
As part of the annual Independence Day celebrations, the Prescott Firefighter's Charities hosts the Hose Cart Races, which originated in the late 1800s as a rivalry between the two hose cart companies before the arrival of fire engines in the 1920s.
'I looked forward to watching him!'
First responders — including firefighters, police officers, and ambulance crew — and their immediate family members are invited to participate in the event, where they race against an opposing team. The challenge involves wheeling historic hose carts to a water source, connecting to a hydrant, and turning on the water to knock down the rival's cone.
Amy Seets, the vice president of the PFFC and chair of the Hose Cart Races, told Blaze News that the competition is an event that the entire community eagerly anticipates each year.
"When my son was in high school, he was a [Prescott Fire Department] cadet and looked forward all year to competing on the PFD Cadet hose cart team," she said. "I looked forward to watching him! As an adult, after he came home from the Army, he went to work for Prescott Fire and was back competing in the hose cart races every year, and I still couldn't wait to watch."
Seets explained that the event pays tribute to history and tradition while connecting the community with their local first responders.
Glory to God
Pastor Dale Partridge, the lead pastor of Prescott's King's Way Reformed Church, described the Fourth of July celebrations as a "big moment to remind the nation who we are and who we were."
'It's driven by the moral law of God, the Ten Commandments.'
"We just want to figure out a way that we can engage in any way to help the nation remember that we were founded as a Christian nation," he told Blaze News. "We've taken that position to be engaged, especially on events that are going down downtown with a patriotic tone."
Partridge's church prioritizes remaining active in the Prescott community, upholding the principle that freedom demands stewardship of the sacred values of liberty.
Last year, the church participated in the annual rodeo parade, playing patriotic country music while carrying a large banner and signs reading, "Christ is King."
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"There seems to be more patriotism that is driven by Christianity," he explained. "It's driven by the moral law of God, the Ten Commandments. It's driven by scripture in the Bible."
This faith-first spirit permeates Prescott's celebrations, uniting families and churches in gratitude for God-given freedoms.
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As the week's Fourth of July festivities wind down, the rodeo grounds host Cowboy Church on Sunday, where worshippers gather to praise the Lord and reflect on the blessings of liberty, a fitting capstone to a week rooted in devotion.
In Prescott, Arizona, the Fourth of July celebrations symbolize enduring values that define America. As the fireworks fade over the town's lake, the flame of liberty continues to burn bright.
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