Let’s all try our best to have a happy, safe and care-free Fourth of July holiday weekend.

There are a number of events going on in Bogalusa in conjunction with the holiday. Citizens should make every effort to take part in any or all of the events.

In my mind, the annual Fourth of July parade on Saturday through downtown Bogalusa tops the list. I had the opportunity for the first time to see the parade last year as part of the Centennial Celebration. Organizers go all out in making the parade something special. A lot of hard work is involved in making the parade a reality. Organizers should be commended for making the parade flow seamlessly.

As in years past, the parade starts rolling at 10 a.m. on Columbia Street and winds through the city before it ends in Cassidy Park.

I can’t think of two people more deserving to be Grand Marshals for this year’s parade than L.C. and Hubert Terrell. Magic City American Legion Post 24 got it right when it selected these two brave souls for the honor. The Terrells participated in D-Day’s Normandy Invasion of Europe during WWII. They are both in their 90s.

After the parade ends, military veterans and their families will be treated to dinner at the American Legion Hall, located at 63349 Louisiana Highway 10.

Later Saturday night, the ever-popular fireworks display is scheduled at the Bogalusa High School football Stadium. People young and old always enjoy watching fireworks go off and make those beautiful displays in the sky.

Hopefully I can make it through the fireworks display this year.

Maybe it was from too much sun that morning from shooting photographs of last year’s parade, but I came down with something I couldn’t shake for weeks. Just before the fireworks were to begin last year, I had to get to the car to lie down. Some kind of illness hit me about an hour before the fireworks were to start. I was freezing, and it felt like a stomach virus had attacked full force.

I felt that way for weeks. I couldn’t eat because of a loss of appetite. I couldn’t finish eating a simple hamburger and lost about 10 pounds. My legs broke out in a rash. Putting one foot in front of the other was an effort for some time. I was concerned.

Maybe I’m now immune to whatever it was since we’ve been here for a little over a year. I’m hoping for a sick-free — and patriotic — weekend and beyond.

Randy Hammons is a staff writer for the Bogalusa Daily News. He can be reached by calling 985-732-2565 or by email at randy.hammons@thebogalusadailynews.com.