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Fireworks, family gatherings, parades, and summer fun!
It’s time to celebrate the Fourth of July!
Independence Day is arguably our most flashy, exciting holiday, but was it always like that?
As history records it, YES! Our Fourth of July traditions date back to the very day the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776! We’ve traveled back in time through the words of historians to see how our forefathers laid the groundwork for our most cherished Independence Day traditions!
Reading the Words of Our Forefathers
Independence Day offers a moment of reflection on the inspired words of our forefathers. A reading of the Declaration of Independence is part of many Fourth of July celebrations, as well as speeches that continue the tradition of public discourse within a democracy–a right that Americans have protected ever since the day the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Barbecues and Picnics
Celebrating Independence Day by enjoying treasured family dishes with friends began on the same day the Declaration of Independence was signed!
According to historians, after a grueling day of debate on July 4, 1776 John Adams and his wife celebrated the country’s new independence with a meal of turtle soup, poached salmon with egg sauce, green peas, boiled potatoes, and a dessert of Indian pudding or apple Pandowdy. Today, the dishes are different–with hamburgers, watermelon, and ice cream being favorites–but the sentiment of the celebration remains the same.
Fun and Games in the Great Outdoors
Our forefathers spent most of their day outside, so it’s no surprise they were often found relaxing under a tree as their children played games, such as tag, sack races, hide-and-seek, and hopscotch. These games are still played on July 4th today, along with organized activities like parades, marathons, drag races, car shows, and extreme eating competitions. Many Americans will also be spending their day at lakes, beaches, and parks as they wait for a fireworks show to begin.
“The Rocket’s Red Glare”
In 1776, then-future President John Adams wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail, detailing how he thought Americans should celebrate the country’s declared independence from England. He wrote the day should be filled with “pomp & parade, with shews (shows), games, sports, bonfires, bells and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more (sic).” His words were heard by many, resulting in the first July 4th fireworks display in Philadelphia the very next year. Today, Americans spent $2.7 billion dollars on fireworks!
Chanticleer’s Fourth of July is celebrated in Bellingham, Wash. The day’s events include a celebration at Zuanich Point Park and the Squalicum Boathouse, with a fireworks show over Bellingham Bay. Events begin at 2pm, and, with sunset around 9:15pm, the fireworks show will begin at 10:30pm!
You can learn more about this and other Whatcom County Events here.
Celebrate America and the people who created this great country with these amazing authors!
TOM SAWYER RETURNS
By E.E. Burke
CIBA Grand Prize Winner in the Laramie Division
Tom Sawyer Returns is the second book in The New Adventures series by author E.E. Burke.
Readers join a now grown up and far more independent Becky Thatcher as she maneuvers her complicated life in Civil War era Mississippi. Tom has long since left, and Becky is engaged to Union Captain Alfred Temple, who offers her all the safety and security she needs in such uncertain times. But does she love him? Actually love him?
COLIN AND THE LEGEND OF THE WEEPING WILLOW
By Anna Casamento-Arrigo
In Colin and the Legend of the Weeping Willow by Anna Casamento-Arrigo, curious Colin learns a Native American legend about the Weeping Willow from one of his favorite people, his grandmother.
Across the years, people have shared their cultural legends and tales. Often these stories are told to explain phenomena in the natural world, and are passed down by elders through oral traditions.
In this story, Colin visits his grandparents to join in fun activities like baking cupcakes and playing catch. During the cupcake making, he shares with his grandma that he has been learning about Native American legends, and she takes the opportunity to tell him another Native story.
ITALIANS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
By Tessa Floreano
CIBA First Place Winner in the Nellie Bly Division
Tessa Floreano’s Italians in the Pacific Northwest is an inviting pictorial narrative featuring both ordinary and extraordinary individuals of Italian heritage who helped to create and develop Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Concentrating on the decades from 1880 to 1950, Floreano begins by referencing the earliest Italian explorers of the Pacific Northwest Territory, then quickly moves to the efforts of those who sought a better life through hard work and new opportunities on American shores.
Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek by PJ Devlin emulates the lives of fictional characters brimming with hope and promise yet living a truthful life of existence in the gorgeous setting of Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon Creek.
The book encompasses ten short stories making it a complete work of fiction. Devlin creates characters which are rich in both experience and struggle. Not only do they live in a real world created by Devlin, but her characters, a mix of children and adults, both struggle with daily, real-world issues most Americans deal with. The stories are all relatable in this sense, which makes the text come alive, page after page.
AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN SUFFRAGISTS
By Nicole Evelina
CIBA Grand Prize Winner in the Somerset Division
Comprehensive in its own right, America’s Forgotten Suffragists by Nicole Evelina is an essential addition to the canon of women’s suffrage and first-wave feminism.
Equal parts local history of women’s right to vote in the nineteenth century and biography of Virginia and Francis Minor, America’s Forgotten Suffragists illuminates the story of a wife-and-husband feminist duo who were the first to fight for women’s suffrage at the Supreme Court level.
This Independence Day, we wish you the following:
May your family and loved ones be close and happy. May we share in the benefits of a community that cares for and loves each other.
Happy Fourth of July from Sharon, Kiffer, David, Dena, Scott, Anya, Andy, and the whole Chanticleer Team!
Thank you for being part of the Chanticleer Family!
You can always submit your book for an Editorial Review with Chanticleer!
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