NORTON SHORES, Mich. – You might have thought it was the Fourth of July on Thursday at Mona Shores High School.

The main event was the evening varsity football game between Mona Shores and Zeeland West. But the football players shared the spotlight with a lot of community heroes and proud citizens during the day-long “Sailor Salute.”

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There were football fans waving small American flags that were dispersed at the gate. Traditional patriotic songs blared from the public address system.

A large contingent of motorcycles, many displaying full-sized flags, roared their engines as they rode into the stadium. A four-jet flight team did two passes over the field. The Mona Shores Sailors football team wore special red, white and blue helmets featuring the American flag.

Active military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters and other first responders were publicly saluted for their service.

Perhaps most impressively, roughly 1,500 volunteers from the community took the field with the school band and choir before the game to sing rousing renditions of “God Bless America” and the national anthem.

At a time when patriotism is frowned upon in many American schools – some even want to prevent students from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance – Mona Shores invited the community to celebrate the nation, and thank all the men and women, military and civilian, who serve their fellow citizens every day.

And the community responded with enthusiasm.

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“We will pack this place tonight,” said Mona Shores athletic director Ryan Portenga before the pre-game festivities began. “I have already seen 1,500 people in our gym rehearsing to sing. We want to do this every year. Maybe next year we’ll have 2,000 people out there.”

Portenga said the Sailor Salute, formerly known as Military Appreciation Night, was the brainchild of varsity football coach Matt Koziak, who wanted a game set aside to honor active service members and veterans.

“We just took it to the next step to make sure that all who serve in various capacities are honored tonight,” he said. “Our goal is to honor, educate and connect, and I think we did a pretty good job of making sure we’ve included everyone.”

“It does my heart good to have a night like this,” Koziak told WZZM-TV. “It’s the greatest nation on earth and it’s for the people who serve us and protect us who make it that way.”

Norton Shores police officer Don Vanderkooi said he and his colleagues appreciated the fact that this year’s salute included civilian heroes.

“Fire departments and police departments, every day of the year we are on duty, ready to answer the call,” he told WZZM. “We get thanks now and then but this is kind of special.”

With so many tragedies plaguing the nation in recent months, including the horrific murder of police officers in various cities, some might have assumed that this year’s event was a community rally to lift the general mood. But Portenga said recent events were not the main inspiration.

“There’s never a bad time to have a great patriotic celebration,” Portenga said. “There are a lot of proud Americans in our community, and this is a great opportunity to bring people together. This year we’ve pulled out all the stops to make sure it’s a well done community event.”

The event began in the afternoon with the “Sailor Salute Expo,” which involved dozens of military and emergency vehicles on display for the public inside Sailor Stadium, as well as a special landing of a Lakota military helicopter.

Before the game dozens of service-oriented bikers from the “Freedom Rider” club rumbled into the stadium, and the Hooligan flight team roared its jets in formation over the field just after the national anthem.

During the game the Army helicopter flew over the stadium in a final salute. Throughout the event money was raised to help support the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

Generating the most discussion were the estimated 1,500 men, women and children who took the field with the band and Mona Shores choir to sing “God Bless America” and the national anthem. Most of the singers signed up online, and most reported to the school gym at 5 p.m., two hours before game time, to receive their “Sailor Salute” t-shirts and practice the songs.

More than 300 people volunteered on the first weekend after the school published an online invitation, and the number kept increasing, according to Portenga. Many families participated, with parents hoping to impress upon their children the need to appreciate America and those who serve it.

Dee Johnson and her 10-year-old son Dallas Johnson, a fifth-grader at Mona Shores, were among the volunteer singers.

“We got invited on Facebook,” Dee said. “I did it because I’m the daughter of a 20-year veteran who served 10 years in the Marines and 10 in the Army National Guard. I also wanted my son to be part of something that honors our country and God. We sang ‘God Bless America.’ I like the fact that they emphasized that part.”

Dallas said his mother “signed me up without me knowing,” but added that it was cool to be on the field honoring those who serve.

“We met two veterans, one from the Navy and one from the Army, and one was from the Korean War and one served in Vietnam,” he said.