Who is ready for the Fourth of July?

GadgetGuy

GadgetGuy

(Formerly Shermie)
Joined
21 Aug 2014
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Location
Brighton, MA.
It is probably the biggest holiday of the summer! Topped off by fireworks at night!! How will you jazz up the leftovers, if there are any?

What are your plans for it? Do you plan to have a big cookout or a small one? Friends & fam will want to come over. Usually, it calls for a big feast. I may cook at home, but I'm not having a big feast! Just a small one because it's only me. :wink:
 
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I'm usually home for the 4th, but this year I'm doing something very different: I'm taking my family to Washington DC. I used to live in Maryland, but I didn't go to the capital often because I was young; my family has never been, so this should be an exciting time.

I was once in London on the 4th. I would have expected there to be no acknowledgement at all, considering that it's not exactly a proud day for England. But, I found several pubs that had American beers for cheap. I guess national pride took a back seat to an opportunity to make some money.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I was once in London on the 4th. I would have expected there to be no acknowledgement at all, considering that it's not exactly a proud day for England. But, I found several pubs that had American beers for cheap. I guess national pride took a back seat to an opportunity to make some money.
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I don't think most Brits equate American independence as anything to do with national pride......on the contrary, I think most of us are pleased that almost all of our previous colonies and dominions are now independent states....there's quite a few of them

You're right that its not celebrated as an event over here but I expect most people are aware of the date of your independence day due to TV and films.....and pubs will find any excuse to run a theme for a few days (or weeks if they can) to get the punters in :okay:

Hope you all have fun!
 
morning glory said:
What is traditional in the US on the 4th of July? Or is it just an 'eat what you like' feast day?
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July 4th commemorates the signining of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 in the US. Wikipedia can explain it better than I. It's also the kickoff to Summer when the weather starts to heat up. It's a federal holiday, & most businesses are closed, so many working folks have a 3-day weekend, as well, and participate in outdoor activities like picnics, BBQs, travel, & celebratory parades, etc. The flag is often displayed, and some folks enjoy incorporating the flag colors (red, white & blue) into food/dishes - red, white & blue potato salad, red, white &. blue sprinkles on cupcakes, cakes, in salads, etc. Some creative dishes include sparklers since there are many fireworks shows starting at 9:00 PM. I look forward to the airing of one of my favorite old b/w movies "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with Jimmy Cagney - the story of Broadway composer George M. Cohan. Love the music & songs - Over there, Give My Regards to Broadway, etc. Favorite scene is Cagney tap dancing, and dancing up one side of the wall, across the stage, and down the orher. It's been overcast here. Waiting to see what the weather holds in store.
 
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The Grand Finale of the evening is, of course, when everyone gets together to watch the fireworks in their city or town, & that is when they light up the night sky with dazzling displays of lighted colors & shapes!! In Boston, it is always held on the Charles River on several barges on the surface of the water.

People gather on the Esplanade in delight to watch the magic light up the sky. That is when you'll feel just like a kid in a candy store!! Hah!! :wink:
 
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@Shermie: I think I forgot about the fireworks - certainly a traditional centerpiece of the celebration - because I can’t think of anywhere around here that does their fireworks display on the 4th anymore.

Detroit / Windsor do their show (which is always spectacular) on June 24th, which just seems so wrong. It’s not even close to the day! But, I realize that they do this for crowd control reasons. I went downtown many years ago, when it was on the 4th, to watch the show from Belle Isle. It took hours to get off the island. And, that’s when there are no incidents (90 degree weather + mosquitoes + alcohol + massive crowds can add up to trouble).
 
I dread the fireworks. The cats hide and the pugs bark.:( Launched fireworks are illegal for the general public, but they still do it. Most of them have no regard for where the fireworks end up and we still have idiots that shoot their handguns off into the air.:mad:

The Declaration was signed on the 4th, but the King did not actually see it until the end of August.
 
When we lived in our big house on a lake, one year some people across the lake decided to shoot their fireworks off over the lake, and the sparks/detritus/smoke ended up in our backyard. I yelled at them to stop, but they didn't so I called the cops on them, but the damage was done by the time the cops got there. There was a heavy haze/fog in our backyard that lasted for hours as there was no wind, and you could hardly breathe because of the gunpowder smell/residue. We had a 90+ pound half husky/half golden retriever plus 3 pugs then and the big dog was so terrorized by the noise and smoke that she was terrified by fireworks from then on, would shake and shiver, and climb on our laps.
 
Hoping for warm sunny weather. Tentative casual menu, subject to change:

Spatchcock chicken
Corn on the cob
Potato, pasta/macaroni, green salad
Buttermilk biscuits or dinner rolls
Sangria
Dessert? Undecided
 
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