You won't hear many patriotic speeches today.

Go to the Farmers' Museum festivities on the Fourth if you want to get a feel of what a stem-winding tribute to nationalism was like 150 years ago.

No, today will be a time of parades and partying, of fireworks and fun. But before you decry a loss of national ardor, consider what we're doing.

The Fourth will be a day for families and a celebration of community. If you go to the huge parade on Friday in Springfield Center you'll see example after example of the things that bind our country together and bring out the best in us. You will see volunteer fire departments and emergency squads - men and women who devoted endless hours each year, without pay, to protect their communities. You will see Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, members of 4-H clubs and many other young people who are staying too busy and active to get into the kinds of trouble idleness inevitably brings.

You will see church women selling homemade baked goods, carrying on a tradition that is as old as the republic. You will hear the Cooperstown Community Band, whose patriotic tunes have stirred Otsegoans since the start of the Civil War.

On Friday evening, you may attend the Ice Cream Social at Cooperstown's Presbyterian Church, as much a chance to chat with friends and neighbors as it is to eat dessert. Then, of course, comes the fireworks on Saturday night at Lakefront Park. What would a celebration be without fireworks?

No, you won't hear many patriotic speeches these next few days. What you will hear is people clicking off their televisions and coming outdoors to be among neighbors. Most of the year, that sense of community escapes us. But not on the Fourth of July.

What better reason for a holiday?