This Friday, we celebrate our country’s 249th birthday (next year is the big 250th – the “semiquincentennial”, but that’s another story). Sure, the big cities will have their festivals and their mega-fireworks displays. You can fight for a spot on the Mall in Washington, D.C. or on the waterfront in New York City, but for my money nothing beats a small-town 4th of July celebration.
In my happy hamlet, we celebrate with a shindig known as the Independence Jam, an evening of food, music, games, and of course, a fireworks finale. It’s probably the biggest event of the year, next to the annual Fireman’s Carnival (yet another story for another time). It’s held out in front of the local high school, and folks from all around come to partake in a little patriotic fervor (even from such far-flung locales as McConnellsburg, PA and Berkeley Springs, WV).
The small town festival is king in my area, especially on a holiday like Independence Day. (image credit - facebook.com)
The fun and frolic starts in the early evening, when hundreds of local families gather on the lawn in front of the local high school. They bring their portable chairs and blankets and settle in for an evening of conversation, food, and fellowship. The kids can partake in games, there are food trucks along the perimeter road of the high school, and a hay wagon (that serves as a mobile stage) becomes the focus of the evening’s entertainment offerings. There will be a rousing rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” sung by a local military service person, followed by bluegrass music.
Between choruses of “Rocky Top”, kid’s faces will be dyed blue and red from frozen ice and the smell of fresh kettle corn will waft through the air. There will be fresh-cut fries and watermelon slices. Burgers and hot dogs. I’m sure someone in that crowd has an apple pie. Parents will talk with neighbors, teens will reconnect with their friends from school, and seniors will visit with friends they haven’t seen all year. There will be red, white, and blue shirts, hats, and beach towels dotting the landscape while small flags will be waving throughout the crowd. It’s the kind of celebration even the founding fathers probably envisioned all those years ago.
As the sun sets, some of the crowd will move next door to the elementary school for seats on a hill that faces a large field on the north side of town. There, an entertainment contractor has been working feverishly all afternoon, getting ready for a 20-25 minute fireworks display (complete with a grand finale) that fills the night sky with color and loud, booming explosions. Smiling faces are reflected in the glowing colors of the summer spectacle. Some kids squeal with delight, some will hide their heads, and some may even plug their ears, while still curiously looking up from behind a protective parent’s chair.
It really is a slice of small-town Americana. Since I live so close to the action, I don’t even have to leave my own backyard to watch the fireworks, which I must admit are far better than those bygone days when we all used to pile into the car and travel to the Long Meadow Shopping Center in Hagerstown’s north end to watch their display, where we thought watching organizers set off one rocket at a time was considered “entertainment”.
Then, as the smoke from the fireworks disappears, it’s all over. My little town empties out as quickly as it filled, and then the local rednecks get their 4th on by setting off their own illegal stashes of fireworks for the rest of the night. Fueled by empty 30-packs of ‘Keystone Light’ and shots of ‘Fireball’, they set off ground-bangers, 2-inch mortars, and even throw sparklers into the air, all in the name of freedom. If you ever meet anyone from my area with a nickname like “Frankie Four-Fingers” or “Deaf Dave”, I have a hunch as to where their backstory originated.
After a few hours, even the diehards calm down, and our nation’s party is over for yet another year. Happy birthday, America!
I hope you have a safe and happy Independence Day!
What a gift and blessing. It is a pleasure to read this blog and it stimulates the memories of past days. Thanks.