Skip to main content

Celebrate July 4th

In this episode – Celebrate July 4th . . .

How do you celebrate the 4th of July holiday? Maybe you hang an American flag on your house, barbecue burgers and hotdogs, have a beer, watch baseball on TV, or perhaps you're looking to get your community involved.

Our neighborhood has had many young families move in during the last five years. And many people walk the quiet streets of the community. So, this is one way to draw everyone together – of the people, for the people, who are out and about on the streets and sidewalks at different times - and to have a little fun.

Stay tuned, and I'll share a suggestion that our neighborhood makes to build cohesiveness and family spirit, which might inspire you to do the same.

First, the "Rest of the Story" about Independence Day is from constitutioncenter.org.

Have you ever wondered when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in July 1776? Some say it was July 2nd, and some say July 4th. Which date has the legitimate claim on Independence Day?

If our second President, John Adams, could be transported to the future, he would say July 2nd. Other Founders would insist on July 4th, the day recognized as a federal holiday in the United States by our national government. And still, other Founders would say, "What Independence Day?" since the holiday wasn't widely celebrated until many Founders had passed away.

Here is evidence to help you decide which Independence Day is actually Independence Day!

Officially, the Continental Congress declared its freedom from Great Britain on July 2nd, 1776, when it voted to approve a resolution submitted by delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, declaring "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

John Adams thought July 2nd would be a national holiday for generations to come:

Adams wrote to his wife Abigale, "[Independence Day] will be the most memorable Epocha in the History of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding Generations as a great anniversary Festival. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade with shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."

After voting on independence on July 2nd, the Continental Congress needed to draft a document explaining the move to the public. A committee of five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson) proposed the document in draft form, and it took two days for Congress to agree on the edits.

Once Congress approved the Declaration of Independence document on July 4th, it ordered it to be sent to a printer named John Dunlap. About 200 copies of the "Dunlap Broadside" version of the document were printed, with John Hancock's name printed at the bottom. Today, 26 copies remain.

That is why the Declaration has the words "IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776" at its top, because that is the day the approved version was signed in Philadelphia.

Now you know the rest of the story!

Anyway, here's a tradition you can start in your neighborhood for those listeners who stuck around.

On Thursday, July 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., our neighbors will host the 5th Annual July 4th Neighborhood Parade! You will see colorful Red, White, and Blue printed flyers near your mailbox with the following.

Decorate bikes, trikes, strollers, or just walk!
Or, stand outside your house and cheer.
Hotdogs and Jumpy afterward.

Come on by and cheer on the kids. Happy Independence Day!

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄  Preview of this week's  On the Fly  blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...
1 comment
Read more

Feeling Human Again

In this episode, The Unexpected Thankfulness of Feeling Human Again I’ll be honest with you: My triumphant return from France was not the glamorous homecoming I had imagined. No graceful glide back into routine. No cinematic jet-setter moment where I lift my suitcase off the carousel and wink at life like we’re old pals. Instead? I came home and immediately launched into a two-week performance piece titled The Great American Couch Collapse. My days blurred together in a haze of soup, hot tea, tissues, and desperate negotiations with the universe for just one nostril—one!—to function properly. The living room sofa became my emotional support furniture. And any creative idea that dared tiptoe into my congested brain was gently shown the exit with a firm but courteous, “Not today, friend. Try again later.” When life hits the pause button like that—when you’re exhausted, sick, and mentally unplugged—how do you find your spark again? Somehow, today, I felt it. A tiny shift. A clearing of th...
1 comment
Read more

A Holiday Reflection–Mother's Love

In this episode,  How a Mother’s Love Built My Memories– A Holiday Reflection As this holiday season approaches and the world buzzes with shopping, planning, and busy schedules, I find myself embracing something wonderfully simple: taking a moment to pause. Not to check off a list or recharge devices, but to breathe deeply, remember fondly, and honor the person and place that have shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it. This year, after regaining my strength from a lingering post-travel fog, my mind didn’t wander to exotic destinations or future adventures. It drifted backward—across oceans and time—to Cuba, Illinois, in the early 1960s, and to the woman whose love built the foundation of my world: Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom . We came to Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition so dramatic I only appreciate its enormity now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped off that plane and into the Midwest with a courage that s...
1 comment
Read more

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths  here,  to-dos  in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just  cannot  be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we  blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming,  and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!"   Just trust, and  you’ll  see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...
1 comment
Read more