Delaware: Happy being separate from Pennyslvania

Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware) got a laugh from the crowd gathered on Courthouse Square in Old New Castle when he said today is the day we gave Pennsylvania their independence.
He added, “I think they’ve done pretty well for themselves.” The Senator may have his history humorously backwards, but there was plenty of Pennsylvania representation to mark the day that Delaware decided it wanted to go off on its own.
From the time William Penn landed along the Delaware River and the English had taken over where the Swedish and the Dutch left off, Delaware had been a part of Pennsylvania. By 1776 Delawarehad decided it really didn’t have anything in common with the much larger territory to the north. So, they declared themselves separated.
It was June and three weeks later everyone was waiting for Caesar Rodney from Delaware to charging in to Philadelphia to cast a deciding vote for the Declaration of Independence. Nobody seemed to care about the Delaware declaration by then. Timing is everything and the rest as they say is history.
The second Saturday in June is a time for Old New Castle to celebrate separation day. Residents and tourists fill up the Old Courthouse square and Delaware Avenue and watch a parade of locals and out groups from out of state entertain in a 45 minute parade.
Groups from the 287th Army band representing the Delaware Air National Guard to students from St. Peters Elementary school and the Goodwill Fire Company both of New Castle marched.
The parade featured a Miss Separation Day. Megan Freeberry is a sophomore at St. Elizabeth’s High School. But the crowd really came to life when the Avalon String Band asked people to come out and start dancing in the streets. Aidan Baker knew that was his cue. The 3 year old New Castle resident jumped up and that was enough for others to join in.
The Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corp of Mt. Holly ended the parade as they performed to the delight of the crowd.
Local businesses seem to appreciate the increased crowds. Restaurants like Jessop’s filled quickly when the parade ended. The rest of the afternoon saw activities at Battery Park. The night ended with a fireworks display.