Bethel Selex Won't
Authorize Parade
For Bridge 'Blessing'
By Chris Costanzo

Monday evening, the Bethel selectboard unanimously denied a request by Bethel's United Church to authorize a short traffic interruption and a parade of Bethel fire trucks in order to perform a "blessing" of the new Church Street Bridge.

The United Church had invited other Bethel churches to participate in the event as well.

The selectmen discussed an opinion from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns that government efforts in support of such events are legal if done in a historical context of similar community events of different types, and does not appear to single out religious events for special favor.

The selectmen all said that they had no objection to any religious group's blessing of the bridge.

(In fact, the blessing will go on as scheduled—but without the fire trucks and without stopping traffic.

It is scheduled for Sunday noon, with participants asked to meet at the White Church parking lot. Clergy from four churches will participate.)

Selectman Eric Benson voiced the sense of the selectboard Monday.

"Stopping traffic and committing the town's fire trucks in support of what is primarily a religious ceremony crosses the line," he said.

The selectmen did note that it might be proper for police to be called out for an event, religious or otherwise, if it was judged that sufficient crowds warranted police control or safety support.

But Selectboard Chair Neal Fox questioned whether closing traffic and parading the fire trucks was necessary in this case in order to permit the blessing of the bridge.

The selectboard made its decision after a long discussion that frequently referred to the historical backrdrop of American public policy. The latter, rooted in the constitution, requires government to protect the free practice of religion, but at the same time avoid doing so in such a manner that could be seen as establishing government support of religion.

It is a difficult line to walk, and often requires a judgment call, which was what the selectmen made last Monday. Accordingly, the selectmen refused to authorize the traffic stop, and they instructed town manager Dell Cloud to "direct the fire chief not to involve the town's fire department in the religious ceremony."