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Before the fireworks, before the backyard barbecues and before the Fourth of July parade crowds, dozens of children spent Thursday morning celebrating America's birthday on foot.
About 50 children, parents and grandparents gathered July 3 at Clifford E. "Bill" Hall Park for Carrollton's second Independence Day Walk, a free community event organized by Maricela Carelock that blended patriotic fun with lessons about American history and civic responsibility.
Children arrived dressed in red, white and blue, many carrying American flags or riding decorated bicycles and tricycles in hopes of winning prizes. Patriotic music filled the park as families picked up dress-up accessories, enjoyed inflatable games and prepared to follow balloons and signs along the walking route.
But Carelock wanted the event to be more than a celebration.
"My intention is for them, since they are not in school, to get the civics part of it," she told the Branch Herald.
Before leading the parade with one of her puppets, Carelock gathered the children beneath the park pavilion to talk about the Declaration of Independence, the structure of the U.S. government and the meaning behind the American flag. Throughout the morning, she tied those lessons to Bible verses, encouraging children to see faith and citizenship as complementary responsibilities.
"We're going to celebrate America's birthday," she told the crowd before the walk began.
The group then made its way around the park, waving flags as children of all ages walked, scooted and rode decorated bicycles beneath the summer sun.
Carelock, a ventriloquist who has become known locally for using puppets to teach children life lessons, has organized a growing number of community walks, including prayer, Thanksgiving and rainbow-themed events. She said the Independence Day walk continues that tradition by giving families an opportunity to celebrate together while learning something new.
Along the route and after returning to the pavilion, Carelock continued the civics lesson by explaining the symbolism of the American flag and demonstrating proper etiquette for displaying and carrying it.
The event reflected a simple idea: that learning about the nation's founding doesn't have to happen only in a classroom. For one morning in Carrollton, it happened while children waved flags, blew bubbles, wore patriotic costumes and celebrated America's 250th birthday together.
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