A house proudly boasts Fourth of July decorations on Rio Linda Boulevard.

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - As June comes to an end and July begins, area residents are ready to put on their red, white and blue, watch a firework show, plan holiday meals to celebrate the Fourth of July, and attend celebrations throughout the Sacramento area.

This upcoming Fourth of July will mark 248 years of America’s independence as a country.

Messenger Publishing Group spoke to several Rio Linda residents to gauge how the community plans to spend their holiday and what the holiday means to them.

Joyce Buckland, treasurer of the Rio Linda/Elverta Historical Society, said the Rio Linda community previously held a community-wide celebration.

“During the ’50s and ’60s, we used to have an annual Fourth of July celebration. It started out as the ‘Chick & Egg Festival’ and then the name was changed to the ‘Chick N Que,’” Buckland said.

Today, residents celebrate the holiday independently.

“Most of us just go off and do our own thing,” Buckland said. “I will be going to a barbecue at my nephew’s home.”

At the Rio Linda U.S. Post Office, employee and former Marine Berto Collado shared that he plans to spend his holiday quietly.

“I’ll probably try to catch some fireworks,” he said.

 Berto Collado, a former Marine, hopes to catch a firework show on Independence Day.

Having served in the Marine Corps for four years, Collado said the meaning of the Fourth cannot be forgotten.

“It’s not all about barbecues and having the day off,” Collado said. “It’s about our freedom and the people who worked for that freedom.”

Buckland added to Collado’s sentiment.

“Speaking for myself, I think on the Fourth of July, it’s important to reflect on the freedoms our Founding Fathers made possible for us to have. And we need to stop and look at the world as it is today and realize that we could easily lose those freedoms,” Buckland said. “We need to be involved in our communities and exercise our rights of free speech and the right to vote. It’s more important now than ever before. It’s nice to see the fireworks and have barbecues with friends and family but we need to pay attention and do whatever we can to ensure we keep our freedoms.”

Jason Green, president of the Rio Linda/Elverta Historical Society, plans to visit Rio Linda’s historic Dry Creek Ranch House on the Fourth of July and then go to a family barbecue. He also recognizes the deeper meaning of the holiday.

“Freedom isn’t free,” Green said. “The Fourth of July means a lot. Same with Veterans Day and Memorial Day; it is all about remembering the people who made sacrifices to get our freedom and to maintain it.”

For information on how the larger Sacramento community is celebrating Independence Day, see the adjacent article.

 

A collage of murals welcomes guests to Rio Linda.