Independence Day is special everywhere in America but there was a day when every member of the Root family gathered to celebrate both the birthday of our nation and the birthday of our company founder and family patriarch.
Wayne A. Root, dad or grandpa to those of us gathered in the yard between house and the store, was born on the 4th of July and liked nothing better than to celebrate with BBQ chicken, homemade ice cream and fabulous cherry pie.
The annual scene was as predictable as a July 4th fireworks show and as anticipated and enjoyed. Each year young adult children and a multitude of grandchildren, all feasted on chicken prepared with great care before our eyes by uncles who declared the result of their lovingly basted barbecue spit, the best ever. A rite of passage for boy becoming young man was turning the ice cream crank, tasting the finished product first and declaring the result the best ice cream ever.
Norman Rockwell could have painted any of these parties as a glimpse of the American Dream. A thriving small business on one end of the picture, a happy home on the other, with a large extended family celebrating in between.
Grandpa Root has long since passed, but the things all of us celebrate on July 4th have not changed. The freedom to create our own future through an individually owned business, the freedom to own property and build a home, the opportunity to make that home a castle for family, these are still the cornerstones of the American Dream.
The founder of Roots Poultry, our grandfather, Wayne A. Root, personally embodied all of the virtues we associate with the best of America so it is only fitting that we celebrated his life every July 4th and remember him and those wonderful parties no matter where we happen to be on Independence Day.