IT WAS THE FOURTH of July and we still showed up, 25-30 strong.
Some of us wore patriotic-themed shirts. We carried our signs. Susan brought mini American flags to distribute. One guy arrived with a full-size US flag. Matt came with his aging dog, Honeybun, who lounged in her dog bed on the sidewalk.
The week prior, we’d briefly talked about whether to gather on the Fourth of July. But we quickly decided that, of all days, we should meet to protest on the 250th birthday of our country. Just like we have every Saturday since January along one of Faribault’s busiest roadways.
Our love for America, our concern for America under the present administration, our love of freedom and democracy draw us street-side to publicly protest. Love for our immigrant neighbors brings us, too. There are hundreds of reasons to stand up, to rise up, to resist.
NOTABLE QUOTES ON PATRIOTISM
I reference this quote from a recent reader comment: “A love of country can coexist with a fierce criticism of it, and peaceful protest is arguably the epitome of patriotism. It is the work of those who love a country strongly enough to insist on trying to close the gap between what it is and what it could be.” (Steven B. Smith, The Atlantic, July 2026). That quote from Smith summarizes peaceful protest in a way that really resonates with me.
Another reader shared an equally insightful comment from a speech by Mark Twain: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, but your government only when it deserves it.” Oh, how true I find that to be.
PROTEST LINE OBSERVATIONS
Protesting in my community, which has voted Republican probably in forever (I’ve lived here 42 years), felt initially unnerving. It takes a bit of bravery to publicly stand along busy Minnesota State Highway 60 in this city of 25,000 and protest. You’re not anonymous like you would be among hundreds or thousands of protesters in a much larger city. But I got over that quickly as I found community among others, soon discovering that I am not alone in my viewpoints, my worries, my concerns.
In fact, during seven months of protesting, we’ve all noticed growing support from motorists passing the protest line. The verbal assaults, the rolling coal, the rage and other negativity directed toward us is declining just as support is increasing. The name-calling and bird flipping still happen, but not as frequently and with less intensity.
Now we have the numbers to back up those observations. My husband, Randy, closely watched passing motorists for the past two Saturdays, tallying results on the back of his protest sign. He noted reactions like horn honking, waving, thumbs up, middle fingers, yelling…in two overall categories of support and non-support.
SUPPORT IS GROWING
On Saturday, June 27, support was at 75 percent. On the Fourth of July, that number rose to 82 percent.
Things are shifting. And that began around the time of the Iran War and rising gas prices.
People passing by our protest line represent a cross-section of Faribault, lending validity to the unscientific street-side poll results. I hold hope. And hope is a powerful thing to hold when you love your country enough to stand up in protest.
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ON ANOTHER NOTE: Sam Temple, candidate for Rice County commissioner in District 3, is holding a town hall from 5:30-7:30 p.m. today, July 6, in the Great Hall of Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault. He intends to focus on data centers. One is being proposed for Faribault. Come, get informed, ask questions, meet Sam and also meet candidates running for Faribault City Council. All have been invited to this town hall. This will be a good opportunity to learn about data centers and about candidates running for local offices.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Honoring America locally in red, white & blue July 1, 2026
Tags: 250th birthday of America, America, birthday of America, book display, books, Books on Central, commentary, Dundas, Faribault, flowers, Fourth of July, holiday, July 4, July Fourth, Keepers Antique Shop, Minnesota, patriotic clothing, patriotism, red white and blue, Statue of Liberty puzzle, window display
RED, WHITE AND BLUE banner everyday life annually around this time each year. I’m talking not only U.S. flags flying from poles, but much more. And this July 4, the 250th birthday of our nation, American pride seems especially abundant. Or maybe I’m simply noticing because of the milestone celebration.
Whatever, I challenge you to see how your friends and neighbors, local businesses, churches and other organizations are celebrating and/or running with the July 4 theme.
Locally, I found plenty of examples in expected, and unexpected, places. At Keepers Antique Shop along Central Avenue in Faribault, I always expect proprietor Nona Boyes to create a window display appropriately themed to a particular event. She didn’t disappoint, staging two mannequins draped in red, white and blue holding an American flag between them. The patriotic theme carries to a corner curio and additional window space. Boyes’ art education and background show in every single window display she creates for her antique shop.
Across the street at Books on Central, I happened upon another July Fourth display, this one atop a table. Because this is a used bookshop, books center the space created by volunteer Jeanne Campbell with assistance from Mary Campbell.
Books about the White House, “The Star Spangled Banner” and Alexander Hamilton are for sale along with other volumes artfully placed among mini American flags, a Betsy Ross statue and touches of red and white ribbon. “We the People—A Pictorial Celebration of America” and “1776” by Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough are also among the selections.
If you really want to get to the basics, you’ll find a pocket book of the U.S. Constitution propped in a front window display themed to celebrating the birth of this country.
To the north on Central Avenue, Fashions on Central promoted a RED WHITE BLUE SALE on a sandwich chalkboard.
At the State Bank of Faribault, an American flag graces a lush pot of flowers outside the bank’s front entry.
But it was red flowers planted in galvanized tubs and backdropping white hydrangea that drew my admiration for July Fourth floral plantings. I was en route to a garage sale in a south-side Faribault neighborhood when I spotted the work of gardener Kay, who planted red, white and blue flowers throughout her yard. She wasn’t home when I stopped. But her husband, Paul, promised to pass along my praise.
When I stopped at an estate sale, I purchased an unusual piece of art perfect for the Fourth of July. For $3, I snagged a puzzle of the Statue of Liberty pieced together by Gerda Dolman of Madison, Minnesota, when she was 100 years old. She lived to nearly 102, dying in 2021. Her son mounted the puzzle on wood. Gerda’s Lady Liberty now hangs on my dining room wall, a visual reminder of freedom, liberty and hope for all who came, and continue to come, to America. Like Gerda’s Norwegian ancestors.
As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, I focus on those foundational words of liberty and freedom. I hope others do, too, as they don patriotic attire, enjoy parades and BBQs, watch fireworks, and consider all this nation has endured from the Revolutionary War to present.
This message lifted from the tabletop display at Books on Central says it all: “For 250 years, we have maintained and loved this country that was created as the great American experiment, an exercise in self-governance and respect and freedom. Long may this great experiment reign, cherished and supported by those it protects and honors. Happy birthday to the United States of America!”
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling