Hayden with the 4 Wheeler Crew

Cartersville’s annual Independence Day celebrations were held on July 3rd this year, since the 4th falls on a Sunday.  Hayden Collins and members of his campaign team walked in the Saturday morning parade on Main Street, with fire trucks, the high school band, young beauty pageant winners, and other candidates including one for school board with her classic convertible.  Hayden’s son Corey was among the campaign crew handing out candy to the children and treats for the dogs along the parade route.  Many of the participants continued on for the annual fair and family cook-outs in Dellinger Park.

Great summer weather graced the block parties and neighborhood pool parties around town.  Hayden and Sandra Collins dropped by a few get-togethers with family members and friends from the neighborhood gathered in a blocked off cul-de-sac – the men sitting around talking politics, while the kids were playing in the sprinklers or a bounce house, with hamburgers and hot dogs sizzling on barbecue grills, and neighbors sharing homemade potato salad, vegetables from the garden, and peach cobbler and special treats for the kids.

This year’s holiday was different for another reason, too.  It has been a tough year for many people in North Georgia.  While celebrating our Independence and the freedoms that shape our lives as individuals and as a nation, these neighborhood gatherings were a time for neighbors to get to know each other, to rediscover those relationships and renew the sense of pulling together.  For Hayden, “They reminded me of my childhood when everyone made do with what they had, and had the best time in the world.”

Hayden thanked the residents for sharing their cook-outs and their stories, and for their resolve to confront the challenges facing the community.  “I have every confidence that this strong people will set the standard for government to follow.”