(Clearwisdom.net) On July 4, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners from St. Louis attended the Independence Day parade in Webster Groves, Missouri for the third time.

Webster Groves is an old community southwest of St. Louis, and it has been called "a great place to live, work and play." The Independence Day Parade is one of the activities of Webster Groves Community Days. More than sixty entries attended the parade this year. The two-mile-long parade went through the whole town, and many spectators enjoyed it.

After several years of clarifying the truth and spreading the Fa, Falun Gong and the persecution are already well-known in the St. Louis area. Before the parade, some citizens came to greet and talk to Falun Gong practitioners.

An older gentleman came to talk to practitioners. He said that he knew about the persecution, but what he couldn't understand is why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes such a peaceful group. Practitioners told him briefly about the evil nature of the CCP, and how the CCP tries to control people's thoughts to keep its own power. Since more and more people practice Falun Gong and obey the principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," the CCP could tolerate this belief due to its evil nature. After talking to practitioners, the gentleman said that he understood why the CCP is afraid of Falun Gong. He was also interested in the "Nine Commentaries on Communist Party" that practitioners recommended to him. He said that it was very nice to talk to practitioners. The conversation continued until the parade started.

The yearly Independence Day Parade is a good time for government officials to communicate with citizens. A candidate in an upcoming political election came to talk to a practitioner for a long time. He strongly condemned the persecution. Practitioners told him about the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. He was very concerned and discussed with practitioners about how to solve this problem.

In the parade, the big "Falun Dafa" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" banners, the celestial maidens' dancing, the pretty float, and beautiful exercises were very attractive to the audience. The spectators applauded this Asian-styled entry. Practitioners passed out lots of informational materials during the parade.

After the parade, some people came to ask for more information about Falun Gong. More and more people want to learn about Falun Gong each year.