July 4th American Celebration Tradition

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." Erma Bombeck

I love this quote. How true it is. What a great nation where on July 4^th people across our great country celebrate in this way. This tradition has remained unchanged for generations. I enjoy these simple pleasures with our grandchildren the same way that my grandparents did when I was a child.

My grandparents lived on a farm in rural Ohio which was the family gathering place for celebrations. The house and grounds were home again on this day to grandparents, parents, children, single aunts and uncles, cousins and friends. Food was available whenever anyone was hungry; quite a spread was on the table in the kitchen. A softball game was most likely in progress on the front lawn. Others may have been watching from the porch settled on one of the large swings or on a chair brought out from the house. Kids were running around and through the house as well as in the back yard. Of course some of the men were gathered either around the barn or one of the other buildings talking politics, growing season or of cars or tractors. The day was spent visiting, playing games and enjoying the best food ever. Towards late afternoon some people would begin to head for their actual home with tired children or adults. Others would decide where they were going to go to view the fireworks.

My parents would usually decide to travel to either Chippewa Lake Park or Myers Lake Park for the fireworks. We would drive there early enough to enjoy the amusement park rides and games before they closed and the park grew more crowded for the evening fireworks.

The fireworks were the highlight of the day in my opinion. I was so excited to see them each year and especially enjoyed viewing them over the lake. Not only did the sky light up with the fireworks but the water reflected each one. It was fascinating and beautiful. The many sounds of the exploding fireworks added to the sudden bursts of color. Each boom brought forth an explosion of color that filled the sky with cascading trails. Some of the explosions not only created a light show but also had shrill whistling sounds that seemed to trail though the sky with the cascading colors.

The night sky in all of its beauty was out done by the fireworks. The families surrounding the lake were all focused on the sights and sounds. Children were holding hands with their dads or moms. Small children were sitting on the shoulders of their dads or grandpas. Moms were covering the ears of infants. Some people were huddled together in the coolness of the evening. The people were as close as the colors in the sky.

As the fireworks came to a close everyone anticipated the finale. Every year the park out did the presentation from the year before. The important thing was that the finale did include a flag made of fireworks which was settled on a raft in the water or somehow appeared in the sky surrounded by cascading streams or multiple small bursts of color. The final patriotic display was always accompanied by cheers from the crowds along with many ahhhs and ohhhs. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful July 4^th.