Dozens of people gathered in downtown Shepherdstown for a reading of the Constitution and its amendments on Sept. 20. Photo by Tom Markland

SHEPHERDSTOWN – The U.S. Constitution was front and center in Shepherdstown on Sept. 20 as residents gathered for the Constitution Day Parade, hosted by the local civic group We The People.

Participants marched down the town’s streets before gathering for a public reading of the Constitution and its amendments. Volunteers stepped forward to recite passages from the Preamble to the Bill of Rights, encouraging visitors to reflect on how the nation is living up to its founding principles.

Organizer Mark Kohut said the event had a unique authenticity compared to larger, more polished parades he has seen elsewhere.

“This parade today was about the most authentic thing that I have seen,” Kohut said.

Kohut said the idea for the parade came from a conversation with Jan Hafer, a local business owner and retired professor, who suggested Shepherdstown, with its historic roots in the American Revolution, was a fitting place to mark Constitution Day. The recent celebration of the Beeline March also played a major role in inspiring the event

The parade route was set for German Street, starting at 10 a.m., and ending in front of Town Hall for a gathering that included readings and remarks. Around 100 people turned up for the event.

Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist of Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church also took the opportunity to speak, reminding attendees of the community’s own role in securing religious freedom. She said Presbyterians were among those who pushed for protections that shaped the First Amendment, but cautioned that those freedoms still face challenges today.

“The First Amendment’s establishment clause protects all of us from government interference in religious matters,” Newquist said. “The free exercise clause protects the rights of individuals and communities to live out their faith, including the right not to follow a faith tradition.”

Concerns about civic education were also raised. Speakers said many young people lack knowledge about the Constitution or how government functions. Some called for civics to be reintroduced more strongly in schools, with one suggestion that high school students should be required to pass a basic exam before graduating.

Although the event carried a serious tone at times, it also had a festive side. Families enjoyed ice cream, music and fellowship along the route. Organizers said those lighter moments helped bring people together, reinforcing the idea that the Constitution is for everyone, not just one political group.

Kohut said We The People hopes to grow the parade in future years and expand educational programs leading into the 250th anniversary of the Constitution in 2037.

“We need to keep this going,” Kohut said. “The Constitution belongs to all of us, and we should take time to read it, reflect on it and pass it on to the next generation.”