Floats, flags and fussing

By Kristen Herring-Asleson

Lanesboro, MN

This letter is in response to the letters that have been printed since the 2021 Buffalo Bill Days’ festivities in Lanesboro wrapped up. More specifically, to address the complaints that have been made surrounding the annual parade and the units in it. As suggested in one of the letters, silence is not always golden. As the parade organizer, I have read the letters and feel they are worthy of a response.

To begin, please know the units in the parade were organized and coordinated by myself, so placing blame on an entire committee is not necessary. The committee is comprised of numerous volunteers, and each volunteer heads up a specific portion of the weekend’s activities. For those who would like to see different aspects of the weekend be done differently, please volunteer. There is always room for more volunteers.

To begin with, as mentioned in each letter, was the issue with the Confederate flag on a parade unit. While units were lining up several blocks from where the parade actually took place, the flag was noticed by another participating unit and brought to my attention. Without stalling or moving on to anything else, I shared the complaint with all those associated with the unit, and they swiftly took the flag down. They honored and respected both the complaint, the complainant’s opinion and me as the messenger.

What needs to be addressed are the rumors that this flag was prominently displayed throughout the length of the parade. The flag was taken down prior to the parade starting and was not put back on the unit. There were multiple spectators aware of this issue and no one who was observing the parade made it be known it was reattached to the unit after the start.

Moving on, the letters also mention making fun of one another. To set this straight, these were real Amish people associated with the unit, and they were poking fun of themselves. This was not a group making fun of another group.

I would like to back up and touch on respect again and point out how I was spoken to by the complainant on the day of the parade. There was no respect toward me in her tone nor in what she said. If expected, respect needs to go more than just one way.

This brings us to the First Amendment. By simple definition, it guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. If we limit or censor what units may or may not be in the parade or at gatherings, that means everyone will need to be treated equal across the board, no matter the cause or belief. It is not based on just what one person feels should or should not be included. That would mean, no political parties, no groups dressed up in what may be construed as making fun of another, nothing historical that may be offensive to some, and so on.

Personally, I am strong in my opinions and beliefs, so watching a particular person march by me holding a flag will not sway me to change. Parades do not have such power, nor do the people participating in them.

The bottom line is this – people were offended by flags, appearances, and various other sights of the parade because it did not align with their opinions, so that made it wrong. What happened to respecting one another as humans no matter what our opinions are? Were there valid points throughout the letters in the paper? Absolutely there were. But again, this letter was written to address rumors and untruths.