Golden Valley Citizenship Ceremony Includes 30 Participants During 4th of July Event

Laos, Brazil, Canada, Japan, the Ukraine. Thirty people from 20 different countries became U.S. citizens during a first-ever 4th of July citizenship ceremony on July 4, 2013, at Golden Valley City Hall.

Global Golden Valley, a group of residents learning about different cultures within the community, incorporated the idea for the ceremony from a suggestion at a past Bridge Builders meeting with the Envision Connection project work with the city, said Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris.

The state's U.S. District Court office and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Office were involved in conducting the ceremony, Harris said.

League of Women Voters representatives were on hand to register the new citizens as voters.

This is the first citizenship ceremony on the 4th of July at the City Hall.

"It's a nice marriage of what we can do to build community on the 4th and celebrate the 4th," Harris said. "We started it small to see how it worked."

The people who were sworn in as U.S. citizens had passed the citizenship exam and requisite paperwork and procedures. People came as far away as Worthington, Mankato and as close as Plymouth. 

"People came from near and far, they are willing to go the distance because it is that important to them," Harris said. "They are very dedicated to going through the process and becoming citizens."

The event could become an annual 4th of July event in the city. There are no other official city events on the 4th of July in Golden Valley.