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The cult of Danville

It only takes a drive through downtown Danville on Fourth of July Eve to realize the truth: Danville is a cult. Its Independence Day parade has followers that get caught up in the excitement of reserving their viewing space with a single-mindedness that is amazing to behold.

This fervor of residents is what made it a good place to open a newspaper. Every good cult deserves a mouthpiece. Some people have complained on Town Square, our forum at www.DanvilleWeekly.com, that the laws about chairs are not enforced and that people don't play fair. Sitting at the perfect spot to watch the parade is an emotionally charged issue.

Kiwanis of San Ramon Valley announced several times that chairs could not be left until 6 p.m. the night before the parade. We ourselves observed that the rules were broken, with expensive chairs even being chained in place. People seem to have as much fun reserving their places as they do watching the parade.

When the crowds gather on the Fourth they are a friendly bunch, visiting and joking with their temporary parade "neighbors." They go home even more enamored with their hometown than they were before. It's the cult of Danville.