Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington will host the 2nd annual “In God We Trust” rally on Friday, July 4, from 1-4 p.m. at the Bossier Sheriff’s Office Viking Drive Substation at 2510 Viking Drive in Bossier City.
Everyone is invited to the free event to celebrate Independence Day and show support for the national motto, “In God We Trust.” There will be hot dogs and drinks for all, plenty of children’s activities and patriotic and God-lifting music.
Veteran broadcaster and storyteller Rick Rowe will serve as master of ceremonies, and Gary McCoy from Kiss Country 93.7 will broadcast live from the event.
The ceremony will begin at 1:00 p.m. with presentation of colors, opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance lead by the Bossier Sheriff’s Young Marines, and the National Anthem will be sung by Devin Allen Cartwright of Benton. Kurissa Parks of Parkway High School will play “God Bless America” on violin. Throughout the ceremony, there will be church singing groups, patriotic videos and remarks.
Sheriff Whittington will honor Posse members who served in World War II and recognize Young Marines success stories. Students from Princeton Elementary School will read their award-winning essays of “What Does Freedom Mean to Me,” and one local pastor will make you laugh with his imitations of the Presidents. Attendees will be encouraged to register for their chance to win special U.S. flags flown over the U.S. Capitol and Louisiana State Capitol.
While the ceremony takes place inside, there will be plenty for the children to do outside, including bounce houses, face-painting, cookie-decorating, children’s games and snacks to include cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones. The Posse will also be fingerprinting, and the new D.A.R.E. car and Sheriff’s Office motorcycles will on display. There will also be plenty of tents for shade. Firefighters with the Bossier City Fire Department will be cooking up hot dogs on the east side of the building.
There will be plenty of parking off of the east side of the substation towards Airline High School, and shuttles will be available for transport to the substation from parking areas. Handicapped parking will be near the substation on the west side of the building.
At 3:30 p.m., Sheriff Whittington will offer his remarks, and Gov. Bobby Jindal will also deliver a special message via video. The Sheriff will also make a check presentation to show the thousands of dollars that have been donated to the Young Marines program after the federal government denied grant funding last spring. Sheriff Whittington made it very clear to the Department of Justice that he was not going to remove voluntary prayer and the mention of God from the Young Marines program in order to receive the grant money and stood firm that the program would continue…with or without federal aid.
“I was so impressed with having more than 1,000 supporters attend our first-ever “In God We Trust” rally last year,” said Sheriff Whittington. “This year, we’ve planned more events, included others to speak and perform and invited our elected officials. I encourage everyone to come out on the 4th, celebrate religious freedom and enjoy Independence Day with us.”
Further details about the event will be posted on the Bossier Sheriff’s Office Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bossier-Parish-Sheriffs-Office/432144946892537. Be sure and hit “Like” to keep up-to-date on this event and all happenings.
