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 Language of Home: Building a Sanctuary

This episode is  for anyone trying to find their footing in a new place—whether it’s a new city, a new job, or a new country. The light in Florence, Italy, has a way of making everything feel like a Renaissance painting—the golden hue on the stone, the steady rhythm of the Arno River, and the feeling that you are walking through a history much larger than yourself. I was there to give a presentation to a class of Gemology students. I was prepared to discuss color grading and refractive indices, but not to be outed as a language tutor . Feeling very much like a guest in a storied land, a hand shot up enthusiastically. "You’re the guy on the podcasts," the young woman said, her eyes bright with recognition. "You’re the one teaching us English." I laughed nervously. If you know my flat Midwestern accent, you know the irony here. I am hardly an Oxford professor. But later, as I wandered the cobblestone streets beneath the shadow of the Duomo, the humor faded into a powe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Practiced Hands: The 50-Year Warranty

What Doc Burch Taught Me About Staying Active. We talk a lot about "life hacks" these days, but most of them don’t have a very long shelf life. Usually, they’re forgotten by the next app update. But back in 1972, I received a piece of advice that came with a 50-year warranty. It’s the reason I’m still on my bike today, still chasing a golf ball around Carlsbad, and still—mostly—in one piece. The Kick That Changed Everything It started with a literal kick in the pants. A kid at school in Cuba, Illinois, was joking around and caught me just right. By the next morning, my lower back was screaming. My mom didn’t reach for the Tylenol; she reached for her car keys. "Let’s go see Doc Burch," she said. "He’ll fix you right up." Harry E. Burch, D.C., was a fixture in Lewistown. He’d graduated from Palmer College in ’59 and had been our family’s go-to for years. He was a man of practiced hands and steady eyes. After a quick exam and an X-ray, the mood in the room s...
Post a Comment
Read more

On the Fly–Taking Flight

In this special 500th episode,  On the Fly  is moving to a new home. Here’s why—and what’s staying the same. For a very long time (since April 2012),  On the Fly  has lived on  Blogger . Blogger has been a reliable host—dependable, quiet, and never complaining when I arrived late with another half-baked idea, a guitar riff, or a story that needed a little air. It faithfully archived my thoughts, my music, and more than a decade of curiosity. But the internet has changed. It’s louder now. Flashier. More insistent. Every thought is nudged to perform. Every sentence wants to be optimized, monetized, or interrupted by something that really wants your attention right this second. I’ve been craving the opposite. So today, On the Fly is moving to Substack . If you’ve been with me for a while, you know my quiet obsession: the A rt of Seeing . I’m interested in the moments we rush past—the Aversion Trap, the discipline hidden inside a guitarist’s daily practice, t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chasing 70

In this episode,  Chasing 70: A Respectful Negotiation with Gravity They say golf is a game of misses. If that’s true, my first round of the year at Rancho Carlsbad was a masterclass in missing efficiently . After a four-month hiatus—during which my golf clubs quietly evolved into a self-sustaining garage ecosystem—Lori and I returned to our local par-three proving ground. Rancho Carlsbad is a par-54, just 1,983 yards long. That sounds forgiving until it exposes every weakness you’ve been politely ignoring during the off-season. I finished with a 78. In most contexts, 78 is respectable. On a par-54, it means I spent a fair amount of time “getting my steps in.” But here’s the real motivation: I turn 70 this August. As a core principle of my Great Un-Working Lifestyle, I’m putting it in writing: I want to shoot my age by my birthday. The Bald-Headed Man Course Around here, we have a nickname for Rancho Carlsbad. We call it the Bald-Headed Man Course. First, because there are no woods...
Post a Comment
Read more