Shepherdstown’s civic spirit marches on

by Mike Chalmers, West Virginia Watch
September 11, 2025

Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is about to add a new tradition to its long history. On Saturday, Sept. 20, the town will host its first-ever Constitution Day parade — the “We the People” parade — which begins at 10 a.m. along its main thoroughfare, German Street, culminating downtown in front of Town Hall, where attendees and participants will gather in a community-wide celebration of the nation’s founding document.

The parade coincides with the 20th consecutive Constitution Day Lecture hosted by Shepherd University’s Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education. The lecture series was launched in 2005, when the late Sen. Byrd — West Virginia’s longest-serving senator — successfully championed legislation establishing Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787. Byrd himself gave the inaugural lecture in the Senate’s historic caucus room in September 2005. This year’s lecture will take place at the Byrd Center on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

West Virginia’s oldest town, Shepherdstown offers a fitting stage for such a celebration. Founded more than two decades before the Constitution was signed, the town has been entwined with the nation’s story from its earliest days. In 1775, local patriots joined the Bee Line March to support George Washington’s fledgling army in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and less than a century later, Shepherdstown stood in the shadow of Antietam, site of the bloodiest single day in American history. The parade adds a new chapter to this legacy, linking the nation’s founding ideals to a community that has long embodied them.

Earlier this summer, Shepherdstown resident and parade committee member and organizer, Mark Kohut, had been engaged in conversations and discussion groups around the topic of the Constitution for some time when he got a call from a friend who had an idea that felt both timely and appropriate.

“She said, ‘Let’s have a parade for Constitution Day,’” he said. “We have the Byrd Center right here, and the town loves parades. I said yes immediately — it just felt right.”

Recognizing Shepherdstown’s robust connection to civic engagement, Kohut explained that feedback was quick and informative. “News goes halfway around this town before the other half wakes up,” he said. “Every person I talk to seems to want to know more. The only concern I get is ‘Is there time to pull it off?’ I think we can. The numbers continue to climb daily on Facebook.”

Now is the time

Local business owner and retired Gallaudet University professor, Jan Hafer, was the friend who called Kohut. For Hafer, the idea drew not only on her love for Shepherdstown and its history, but also on a lifelong commitment to civic engagement and education.

“For me, the inspiration for a parade came soon after the Bee Line March celebration earlier this summer,” she said.

Hafer, who still carries a copy of the Constitution with her daily, called the event a powerful reminder of the region’s Revolutionary War history. 

“Those farmers marched to Boston to join the Revolution — which ultimately served as the beginning of the U.S. Army. This is important history, and it made me reflect on how much I appreciate our early roots.”

Hafer’s connection to the Constitution runs deeper than casual interest. During her time at Gallaudet, she co-taught a course on Supreme Court cases that shaped education policy, working alongside a lawyer to guide undergraduates through landmark decisions. The textbook they used was one of Congressman Jamie Raskin’s works, “We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About Students.”

“We took our students to the Supreme Court to watch a special education case being litigated, and Congressman Raskin even guest-lectured in our class,” she recalled. “That experience left a big impression on me and gave me a lasting appreciation for the Constitution.”

So when she and Kohut started workshopping the idea for a parade in Shepherdstown, “We thought, next year is the country’s 250th anniversary — can we create something that is in line with that and welcomes all-comers?” she said. “Mark did the work to get it approved by Town Council, started talking to people, and networking as he does. I became a sounding board.” 

In addition to the parade, Constitution Day events around Shepherdstown that week will include public readings of the Constitution, student engagement projects in local schools, trivia nights and scavenger hunts inspired by constitutional history, and special foods and treats — including a new ice cream created for the occasion.

Kohut acknowledged, “When I pitched the idea to Town Council, I spoke of Sen. Byrd, a Democrat, as well as Newt Gingirich, a Republican, who led Republicans to read the Constitution in Congress when they took it over in 1995. One of the council members in attendance notably said, ‘Now is the time.’”

Kohut also pointed out that his goal for the event is long-term. “I hope this certainly gains momentum locally — but an additional aim would be for the spirit, concept, and energy behind it to spread to other places, other towns, other cities.”

Sense of  continuity 

Ray Smock, former director of the Byrd Center and former historian of the U.S. House of Representatives, sees the parade as part of a larger civic opportunity.

“This local parade will raise awareness of the Constitution in our community,” he said. “And the idea of Constitution Day parades just might catch on. We all celebrate the Fourth of July. The Declaration of Independence was and is a big deal. But the new government that came out of the American Revolution was a big deal too. Take a look at the 52 words of the Preamble to the Constitution. It tells us what government should do and what government is for. Each generation of Americans needs to understand what the Constitution stands for.”

That sense of continuity — that the work of democracy belongs to each generation — is central to why Shepherdstown’s first Constitution parade feels so fitting to Zach Dougherty, current Byrd Center director, who echoed Smock’s sentiment.“Shepherdstown really represents the American narrative — that ordinary people, when pressed under extraordinary circumstances, are capable of meeting the challenge and making sure that the definition of what our Constitution stands for is met, expanded and extended to more Americans every generation,” he said.

Smock, who worked with Byrd during the bicentennial of the Constitution in the 1980s, added that the senator would have appreciated Shepherdstown’s efforts to expand the tradition beyond the lecture series. 

“No senator in American history has done more than West Virginia’s Sen. Byrd to promote the importance of the Constitution,” he said. “I worked with him on the 200th anniversary of the Constitution. He is gone now and I can’t speak for him, but I do know that he understood that education often begins with an event, a ceremony, a speech, and it is the effort to honor the Constitution that is important, even if only one person turned out for the parade.”

Mutual obligation 

As Shepherdstown prepares for its first Constitution Day parade, Mayor James Gatz sees the event as a reflection of the town’s enduring character — and its place in the American story.

“This parade is about more than honoring a date on the calendar — it’s an opportunity to strengthen community connections,” he said. “It’s about bringing people together — family, neighbors, students, visitors — to celebrate the core principals upon which our nation is based and to remind ourselves that the Constitution belongs to all of us. 

“In a small town like Shepherdstown, where history is part of daily life, it’s a chance to honor that past while also recommitting to the values that guide our nation. I invite all residents from Shepherdstown and surrounding areas to come and celebrate with us.”

That sense of recommitment is crucial, Smock said. “Each generation of Americans has had to find ways to preserve and defend the Constitution. It is not a machine that runs by itself. The words of the Constitution are important, but it is positive actions and a respect for the rule of law that make it possible to keep our republic going strong. 

“Right now, constitutional government is in crisis largely because not enough citizens understand that the Constitution puts restraints on the people as well as those who hold high office. It calls for a separation of powers in three branches of government. At present, all the power seems to be in one branch, and this is not healthy.”

Smock has seen the Constitution tested before. During his time as House historian, he occasionally lunched with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, who chaired the national commission commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Constitution. He recalled Burger sharing his perspective on one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions in American history — the ruling that forced President Richard Nixon to turn over the Watergate tapes.

“I asked the Chief Justice what he thought was the significance of that decision,” Smock said. “He said that no one knew for sure how President Nixon would react. What if he refused to turn over the tapes? In the meantime, Republican members of the House and Senate visited Nixon to inform him that Congress would probably impeach him and remove him from office. Faced with impeachment, and faced with the decision of the Supreme Court, Nixon decided to resign. Congress and the Supreme Court put constitutional pressure on the president. Chief Justice Burger said, ‘The Constitution worked.’ And that made all the difference. Checks and balances are essential, and no person is above the law.”

For Dougherty, that lesson continues to resonate. “When you look at the Constitution, the remarkable thing in our current context is that you won’t find the word Democrat or Republican,” he said. “Whether you’re a kid in New Jersey or an older citizen from West Virginia, you are viewed as equal under the law. In the current climate we’re living in, it’s important for all Americans to remember that we have a mutual obligation to each other — a mutual responsibility to the ideals of the Constitution. It has never been, nor will it ever be, just a document. It’s something we have to live and uphold every day.”

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

SUPPORT

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.