Fourth of July activities in Portsmouth & Merrimack

On July 4th, I had the honor of joining two very special traditions here in New Hampshire: marching in the Merrimack parade with my family and attending Portsmouth’s annual naturalization ceremony.

At the parade, we waved to families dressed in red, white, and blue, high-fived kids, and took in the joy of the day — people showed up for different reasons: the fire trucks, the clowns, the tradition, the community. Whatever brought them out, we were together. That mattered.

And at the naturalization ceremony, I watched as dozens of people from 46 different countries became American citizens. The mayor invited all the children to come to the front to help lead the Pledge of Allegiance, and for a few powerful minutes, our youngest citizens and our newest citizens stood side-by-side and pledged allegiance to liberty and justice for all.

I’ll never forget it.