Letter to the Editor: What happened to Dover Days?

The last few years have clearly been a challenge for the organizers of the Dover Days Festival, given the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and inclement weather. So it was nice that people turned out on such a pleasant day.

However, I am compelled to ask exactly how an outfit hawking hats, shirts and flags in support of a disgraced former president was provided a prominent location on State Street in the middle of The Green. I’m still shaking my head over that visual.

Keep in mind that 240-plus years ago, Revolutionary War soldiers marched through that very patch of ground. I always thought Dover Days was supposed to honor these events of our collective past. If there’s one event that might continue to maintain a nonpartisan posture, Dover Days might come to mind. How naive of me.

We’ve come to normalize so much craziness in recent years that it oftentimes goes unnoticed. Basic concepts like civility, decency and decorum seem antiquated. I suppose it’s only appropriate that history itself gets tossed to the woodchipper, as well.

Craig D. Neild

Magnolia