Fourth of July Celebration

Fourth of July Celebrations occur around the United States in a variety of ways. Each state seems to have their own traditions for our Independence Day. The Fourth of July was a day when America finally became free of the British Empire and is the basis for our country. While I think we sometimes forget what the celebration really means, each year we all have fun in our own way. We will look at a few different Fourth of July Celebrations that occur around the US to give you an idea of what to do for the year's celebration.

In Alaska they celebrate Fourth of July on the 3rd and the 4th. Everyone gets off of work mid afternoon on the 3rd to have a barbeque, baseball games, and plenty of fun in the sun. As the day draws into night the celebrations at homes and in the cities are in full swing. By the time the clock strikes 12:01 am the fireworks have begun. Rather than wait until the night of the 4th at nine pm they start the celebration off at the beginning of the day. After the 45 minute show everyone goes home for five hours to six hours of sleep. Then they are downtown again for a great celebration. The parade usually starts at 8:30 with traditional Alaskan themes. After the parade the party is started with barbeques, music, dancing, and in the case of Juneau fire department races.

In North Carolina the celebration starts on the 4th of July with a parade first thing in the morning. Then those who have boats meet up in the rivers, lakes, or the ocean for the fireworks display that will happen later that evening. Typically barbeques, sports games, children's games, and more will be celebrated. Those who have boats or live on the water will swim and surf. Families and friends will also join. You can actually have up to ten boats tied together during the day to celebrate Independence with family and friends.

In other communities the celebrations may not have a parade, but they will have gatherings of family and friends with plenty of traditional foods.