Dear Editor
This letter concerns patriotic activities around the courthouse lawn and steps.
Several times a year on the occasion of a patriotic holiday, there are gatherings at the courthouse steps and lawn. In years past, these gatherings were well attended, but as the years pass by, the crowds are smaller and smaller. Why is that?
Everyone is entitled to answer that question based on their own views!
I would like to offer my three thoughts on the subject: #1, Traffic noise; #2, an inadequate sound system; and #3, a drop in patriotism.
#1. Activities other than patriotic-themed ones are held in downtown Perryville, and there doesn’t seem to be a problem with closing streets or rerouting traffic for these occasions. So why can't traffic be rerouted and streets closed for patriotic activities so those in attendance can benefit by appreciating the speakers for whom the activities are intended?
#2 The city and county seem to have no difficulty finding funding for many things that seem trivial, so why can’t they purchase or access a sound system calibrated to the area occupied by spectators at these activities?
#3 The third and most uncontrollable aspect is a drop in patriotism. As time passes, there are fewer and fewer people directly affected by military service! Again, there is unnecessary traffic noise on the streets around the courthouse. Many would like to attend but say, “Why go? You can’t hear the speakers.” An inadequate sound system and a reduction in patriotism contribute to less attendance at what should be a well-attended patriotic activity in a small community with a rich patriotic past. Wake up, small-town America!
Leo Meyer
Perryville
