It's Christmas in July. Actually, it is BETTER than Christmas in July. It is 4th of July week in my home town, which does 4th of July like New Orleans does Mardi Gras. These are the top reasons why my city is the best city to be in on Independence Day. (Take that, Washington D.C.)
1) We can blow fireworks off in town.
You may think this sounds like a safety concern and you would be right. You might also think this causes our city to look like the back bathroom at a seedy bar on a Sunday morning. You would also be right about that. It is, quite frankly, the worst after party clean up there is. However, the party itself is totally worth it. So while you are in your town parked in a crowded public arena to watch fireworks purchased by the city, I'll be parked on the street at my parents' house hoping that an empty round doesn't land on my car while watching close friends and family almost burn their fingers off with explosives.
If you don't think that's awesome, you clearly need to experience it first hand.
Real burning bushes, y'all.
2) The celebrations start a week early.
It's June 29 and my dog is already hiding under the bed because of the boom, hiss outside. You can feel the sizzle of static on the heat wave of late June as July 4th approaches....Look! The carnival rides are set up! The red, white and blue flags have been draped over Main Street. The Marching Band is waking me up with their practicing at 5:00 am. My heart rate went up just thinking about it.
3) THE PARADE
Free candy. Heat stroke. Politicians. Children. Arts organizations. Bad music blasted from huge speakers. Marching bands. Hip churches. Horses. Crazy reenactors dressed in Civil War uniforms. The fire hose spraying the crowd. The parade is a spectacle unto itself, patched together with anything and everything a city could throw onto the street.
Our family is particularly lucky, because my Grandma lives two blocks away from Main Street, so we all (the whole extended family of approximately 127) park up there and walk down to the flatbed trailer that we all sit on during the parade. We should be our own float, especially because after the parade we all hop on and drive around town singing "Yankee Doodle". This is a true Kaiser family tradition. Best.Thing.Ever.
4) Art in the Park (aka, a craft fair)
Buy overpriced SnoCones and Indian Tacos? Pay $12 for a glorified water balloon? Drink fresh squeezed lemonade in exchange for a limb? How about those super cute homemade novelties I don't need? YES. COUNT ME IN. It's for a good cause.
5) The Rodeo
Actually I don't care about the rodeo, but some people reeeeeaaallly love it, so I guess I should include it. Who doesn't love a cowboy and possible death for sport?
6) The Night
Between the floating lanterns and the friendly, albeit ridiculous, competition between neighbors revolving around who hemorrhaged more money buying fireworks, there is nothing more incredible than the actual nighttime celebrations. The Rodeo grounds have a phenomenal fireworks show that brings down the house. But before it's even dark, the fireworks begin all over the city begin. By 8:30 they are in full force, by 10:00 the sky is a constant kaleidoscope of color and light, and at 2:00 am, you can fall asleep in front of your living room window with the smell of black powder and the faint pop and zing of people who wait all year for the privilege of keeping the neighborhood awake all night.
Sure, it's crazy. Sure the streets are packed with people from out of town and across the River. But there's not a person from my graduating class who doesn't make it back here for 4th of July, even if they don't make it back for Christmas or Thanksgiving. There isn't a more beautiful memory than watching your child's eyes light up in wonder as flowers of light bloom and fall in the black sky. This night, we celebrate our Independence, but what we are really celebrating is our community.
Our blood runs red, our passion burns white and our collars are blue.
Happy 4th of July, to the place I will always call home.
1) We can blow fireworks off in town.
You may think this sounds like a safety concern and you would be right. You might also think this causes our city to look like the back bathroom at a seedy bar on a Sunday morning. You would also be right about that. It is, quite frankly, the worst after party clean up there is. However, the party itself is totally worth it. So while you are in your town parked in a crowded public arena to watch fireworks purchased by the city, I'll be parked on the street at my parents' house hoping that an empty round doesn't land on my car while watching close friends and family almost burn their fingers off with explosives.
If you don't think that's awesome, you clearly need to experience it first hand.
Real burning bushes, y'all.
2) The celebrations start a week early.
It's June 29 and my dog is already hiding under the bed because of the boom, hiss outside. You can feel the sizzle of static on the heat wave of late June as July 4th approaches....Look! The carnival rides are set up! The red, white and blue flags have been draped over Main Street. The Marching Band is waking me up with their practicing at 5:00 am. My heart rate went up just thinking about it.
3) THE PARADE
Free candy. Heat stroke. Politicians. Children. Arts organizations. Bad music blasted from huge speakers. Marching bands. Hip churches. Horses. Crazy reenactors dressed in Civil War uniforms. The fire hose spraying the crowd. The parade is a spectacle unto itself, patched together with anything and everything a city could throw onto the street.
Our family is particularly lucky, because my Grandma lives two blocks away from Main Street, so we all (the whole extended family of approximately 127) park up there and walk down to the flatbed trailer that we all sit on during the parade. We should be our own float, especially because after the parade we all hop on and drive around town singing "Yankee Doodle". This is a true Kaiser family tradition. Best.Thing.Ever.
4) Art in the Park (aka, a craft fair)
Buy overpriced SnoCones and Indian Tacos? Pay $12 for a glorified water balloon? Drink fresh squeezed lemonade in exchange for a limb? How about those super cute homemade novelties I don't need? YES. COUNT ME IN. It's for a good cause.
5) The Rodeo
Actually I don't care about the rodeo, but some people reeeeeaaallly love it, so I guess I should include it. Who doesn't love a cowboy and possible death for sport?
6) The Night
Between the floating lanterns and the friendly, albeit ridiculous, competition between neighbors revolving around who hemorrhaged more money buying fireworks, there is nothing more incredible than the actual nighttime celebrations. The Rodeo grounds have a phenomenal fireworks show that brings down the house. But before it's even dark, the fireworks begin all over the city begin. By 8:30 they are in full force, by 10:00 the sky is a constant kaleidoscope of color and light, and at 2:00 am, you can fall asleep in front of your living room window with the smell of black powder and the faint pop and zing of people who wait all year for the privilege of keeping the neighborhood awake all night.
Sure, it's crazy. Sure the streets are packed with people from out of town and across the River. But there's not a person from my graduating class who doesn't make it back here for 4th of July, even if they don't make it back for Christmas or Thanksgiving. There isn't a more beautiful memory than watching your child's eyes light up in wonder as flowers of light bloom and fall in the black sky. This night, we celebrate our Independence, but what we are really celebrating is our community.
Our blood runs red, our passion burns white and our collars are blue.
Happy 4th of July, to the place I will always call home.
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