HARLINGEN — “It’s a celebration of the warriors.”
Chastity Jimenez is only nine years old, but she had a pretty good handle on July 4 as she strolled Saturday afternoon through Lon C. Hill Destination Park with her mother and younger brother.
They were celebrating Freedom Fest presented by the City of Harlingen. It was the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration, which featured a car show, beverages, food vendors and a child’s play area.
Chastity was certainly in the spirit of the afternoon with her floppy hat of stars and stripes and her blue tank top with the words “Happy and Free.”
A man with a long graying beard and a mask with patriotic colors strolled by, vendors sold crazy apples and aguas frescas and fruit cups. A man bore a large bottle of water on his shoulders to a stand selling elotes and Takis and nachos while music rolled across the park and around the curving sidewalks. Heated guitar licks rushed from a stage and spectators relaxed in folding chairs with ice chests to keep them in the mood.
They all seemed to be waiting for one act in particular, and they quickly revealed what that was: The Josh Abbott Band.
“We’ve seen him before and he’s very good,” said Brian Hostetter, 37. He and his two companions — he’s a resident of South Padre Island — had already attended events in Edinburg and Los Fresnos.
“This is our last stop here,” he said.
He also had a quick answer for the meaning of July 4.
“It means getting to celebrate our country’s independence, the freedom to come out here and enjoy ourselves,” he said.
Chastity’s mother Amanda Jimenez and her two children had just been at the Texas Cook-Em 2022 event in Edinburg where they’d hoped to see Aaron Watson. Upon learning that he wasn’t playing, they drove to Harlingen to see Josh Abbott.
“We just like country music,” she said.
Senior citizens and couples with young children gathered around tables in a pavilion decorated with red, white and blue star balloons. An older couple shared a hot dog. A woman and her daughter enjoyed an awesome blossom with a heavy cup of ranch dressing.
It was good to see families with their children enjoying the spirit of July 4 together, said Moses Mendoza, 66.
“It’s a good event,” he said. “You see families walking around enjoying themselves. This is our independence. It means our freedom, when our nation came to be.”
