OUR VIEW: A special day at Madison’s Montpelier

Staff Editorial
Published: September 19, 2008

» SUMMARY: The good folks at Montpelier put on quite a show Wednesday — with a bit of help from 2,600 of their friends.

What better way to celebrate Constitution Day than at the home of James Madison, father of the document that governs our United States. Not only were national dignitaries on hand to unveil a wonderfully restored Montpelier, but 2,600 fourth-graders from six school systems gathered to form a living U.S. flag.

In all, it was a majestic day. The weather was just right and thanks to well-conceived planning that kept the young masses happy — i.e. free bottled water and tightrope-walking colonial jugglers — the event went off without a hitch.

For the adults, it was a real treat to hear Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Gov. Tim Kaine, U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor and journalist Jim Lehrer speak from Montpelier’s front porch. And hundreds were able to see the interior renovations that returned Madison’s home to its 19th century wonder.

It took five years and $24 million, but the result couldn’t have been more stunning. On Wednesday, America saw that Montpelier has been transformed from a pink stucco behemoth into an elegant Georgian landmark that gracefully guards the Blue Ridge from its hillside perch just west of Orange.

Perhaps the most rewarding part of the day came from observing the school children who proudly hoisted the flag’s red, white and blue cardboard squares. Their youthful enthusiasm and bright smiles really put things into perspective. After all, they are the future of this great nation.

And because of the leadership some 200 years ago by men like Madison, our country remains a beacon of freedom with a government that has withstood the rigors of time.