River Rats Lead Brownville Freedom Day Parade On The Fourth of July

BROWNVILLE – Giving recognition to the importance of the Missouri River,  people who have worked on the river  were grand marshals of the Brownville Freedom Day parade on the Fourth of July.

Jerry Patterson and Bud Kieler, both of Peru, were among those riding the River Rats float.

Patterson’s interview with News Channel Nebraska came just as the historic Browvnille cannon was fired to start the parade.

… s-o-n, that’s correct. Boom. Whoa. .. Jerry, where are you from? Peru.”

Patterson: “Worked on boats, pile driving, deck work, construction work. I finished up on this old dredge Lewis down here.”

Kieler started on a pile driver near Brownville in 1958 and worked his way up to be a tugboat captain for over 20 years.

Kieler:  “I went to decking on a boat in 1960 and been out there every since. Got my pilot’s license. I still go out. I still got a Western Rivers license.”

What do you think about all the flooding this year. “It’s terrible. It’s terrible. I’ve never seen it like this. Nobody else has either. I don’t know, it sure hurt the barge traffic.”

A patriotic program followed the parade.

Bill Hayes read the Gettysburg Address.

Hayes: “That government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”