Wishing you all a very happy 4th of July!
I love the 4th of July. It is a holiday that is about celebrating that is full of friends & family, food, and fun. Here in Boston the Boston Pops do a concert on the Esplanade (one of the stretches of green that surround the city), and there are fireworks at the end. Seven years ago my friend Mary Callanan performed with the Pops (she was on the road with Mama Mia), so I got to sit close, watch my friend, and be on the front line of the fireworks. There was a rainstorm in the middle, but it was all good. A perfect way to celebrate.
Here’s their performance.
What are other great ways to celebrate, besides going to a cookout? Here are some ideas.
Watch the movie 1776. It’s a big old musical, fair warning for some of you who don’t like musicals. I love the movie for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that the Broadway cast is in it. That doesn’t happen often, and I do love seeing the stage actors reprising their roles. A few years ago I saw it on Broadway with Brent Spiner as John Adams, which was such fun. Here’s a example of the movie:
You could also listen to Hamilton, another favorite of mine.
Make something that is joyful to eat, and out of the norm. Here’s what I mean. A jello mold. (There are some good ones, so I don’t want to hear it.) A lemon/lime poke cake. A three-bean salad. (Do you know how much sugar goes into my grandmother’s recipe? 3/4 of a cup! Not everyday food.) Rice Crispie squares, with red white and blue Rice Crispies. This holiday is about fun, so now is the time to make that recipe you’ve wanted to try but you couldn’t justify a pound of butter in a pan of brownies. You could also bring S’More makings to the cookout, but shake it up a bit. Bring Ritz Crackers as well, or vanilla wafers. Have fun with the food.
Read a 4th of July themed mystery. There are a lot of them–here’s a list.
Watch a concert and fireworks on television. In person is wonderful, but I know that fireworks can be a lot for some folks, and for pets. But on television can be a decent substitute.
Watch Captain America movies. Okay, that’s my idea of a fun 4th. But seriously, the Cap is all about patriotism, integrity, and American values.
Friends, do you do anything special for the 4th of July? Let me know! Also, if you have a good jello mold recipe, pass it on. Happy 4th!
Yes, Julie, 1776. It’s one of my favorite movies. Turner Classic Movies always plays it on the 4th, so I make it a point to watch it each Independence Day. My only real gripe with it is that they abbreviated most of the snare drum solo that began the stage version.
When it was released theatrically, one of the musical numbers, Cool Considerate Men, was dropped. The tale is that there was a White House preview of the film for Richard Nixon. After seeing it, he complained to Jack Warner that the number was a criticism of conservatives, and he prevailed on Warner to cut the number. Thankfully, it’s been restored, so you’ll see the whole show if you watch it on TV or on disc.
I, too, was lucky enough to have seen the original cast (although without Howard De Silva who was out of the show for several months because of a heart attack).
Whatever you do, enjoy the fourth and celebrate our country!!!
I wish I’d seen the original cast on stage. I saw Brent Spiner, and Pat Hingle was Franklin. Such a great show.
I have the 1776 DVD and Cool Cool is on it. I love that number.
Happy 4th Lee!
Great suggestions, Julie! I’m spending the day with my best friend and her toddler granddaughter, two of my favorite people in the world, so I don’t even care what we do. Happy birthday to our country – we’re going through some dark times right now, but we have before and we always pull through.
Have a wonderful day with people you love. Such a gift.
Early afternoon cookout with relatives, preceded by early morning writing sprint. Listened to the fireworks last night (ca’t see them from my deck, but it was so nice out there last night) and enjoyed a glass of wine. Hoping in my heart that my nephew remains safe in his various naval deployments because he’s trying to maintain our freedom. Happy 4th everyone.
I hope he stays safe, too!
Thank you to your nephew for his service.
Sitting on the deck sounds perfect to me.
Great suggestions! But since my The Hubby is away visiting a friend, The Boy is working, and The Girl has plans with her boyfriend, it’ll probably just be me.
If I wasn’t so crowd-phobic these days, I’d love to see the Boston Pops. I’ll have to settle for watching it on TV.
Honestly, I’m a little crowd phobic these days as well. I can see the fireworks from my apartment, and the Pops are on TV, so all good.
One of my oldest friends is dropping by this afternoon–and bringing food! We’re just going to hang out here.
I wanted to add that one year long ago I was in France for Bastille Day, and went to see the fireworks over the Maine River in Angers. They were definitely impressive, and I hadn’t realized that French fireworks came with sound effects–the cascades of sparks whistled as they fell.
Have a great afternoon! France on Bastille Day must have been fun.
Happy 4th to all, I agree 1776 is a great movie and a yearly tradition for this time of year!!!!
Such a great tradition! Happy 4th!
Caprese pasta salad and chicken wings here. Wish we had fireworks, but alas, none nearby. Happy 4th to all!
Sounds delicious! Happy 4th!
I saw 1776 when they toured the country when I was in high school — I think I still have the program somewhere. I volunteered so I could go to shows free. It was fabulous. Have a happy day. I’ll be writing!
How cool is that! Happy writing.
Good ideas, Julie on the least celebratory 4th I can remember. Yes, 1776! A great favorite of mine. Love it that so many others agree. It will be on tv tonight, but I have my own DVD, too. I saw it when I first came to NY but after the original cast had left . (I think?) And then I saw it years later, with Brent Spiner and Pat Hingle. Small theater, sat up front, felt like we were part of the convention ourselves. Great.
I saw that one as well. Loved it. Happy 4th, Triss.
I live in Pennsylvania, but for the second year in a row I have come to Arizona to visit our daughter for the 4th. We go to Bisbee and watch the soap box derby race through the steep curves to the bottom of a long hill. Then there is the parade in the afternoon followed by the mucking and drilling contest (Bisbee is an old mining town). In the evening, there are fireworks. It’s really an old fashioned 4th of July celebration without the boring speeches! And I get to spend it with our daughter!! 😁
That sounds like so much fun! I don’t know what a mucking and drilling contest is, but I’m going to look it up. I always wanted to build a soapbox racer when I was young. Not sure about racing on curves though.
I usually have quiet 4ths these days. Don’t even head out for fireworks, although that will change this year probably since my parents are here to visit and Mom loves fireworks.
Have a wonderful visit with your parents!