Jun 30 Fourth of July Carlyle Lake Fireworks Spectacular (Clinton Co). On the Saturday before the Fourth of July, all day event will have live music, a sandcastle building contest, volleyball tournament and fireworks show that can be viewed by boat, at the Dam West or Dam East Recreation Areas. 618-594-2484 http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=B302700 Carlyle

Jun 30 Granite City Festival and Fireworks (Madison Co). At Wilson Park, with carnival rides, carriage rides, food, music, foreworks at 9:15pm at Coolidge Middle School grounds. Free admission. 618-877-3059 Granite City

Jul 2 Mississippi River Fireworks Festival (Madison Co). Grounds open 5am at Alton Riverfront. Food, beer tent, entertainment, fireworks at 9pm. Sponsored by Alton Exposition Commission. Admission free. 618-465-6676 Alton

Jul 2-4 Steeleville Fourth of July Celebration (St Clair Co). At American Legion Park and City Park, Carnival and rides, food stands, live music, beer stand and poker stand. Craft stands 7/4 before and after parade. On 7/4 parade at 10 a.m. fireworks at 10pm. Free admission. http://www.steeleville.org/ Steeleville

Jul 3 Emerald Mound Fire Protection District Fireworks (Madison Co). At Lebanon’s Homer Park. Bring a lunch or purchase lunch on-site. Lebanon.

Jul 4 Nashville 4th of July Fireworks Display (Washington Co). At Memorial Park Lake ponds. Refreshments will be available. Free. although they customarily pass the hat for donations.

Jul 4 Liberty Bell of the West Patriotic Celebration (Randolph Co). Mid-day ceremony with speeches, music, salute by French Marine reenacters, tours at the Kaskaskia Bell State Historic Site on Kaskaskia Island. On July 4, 1778, the Kaskaskia Bell was rung by George Rogers Clark after his Long Knives seized Kaskaskia from the British. Free Admission 618-826-2667 Kaskaskia

Jul 4 Dupo Picnic in the Park (St Clair Co). At Dupo Community Park featuring live music, food, games, softball tournament, washers tournament, craft booths, wine tasting and a large fireworks display at dusk. Free admission. 618-286-3280 Dupo

Jul 4 Greenville Fireworks (Bond Co). Music, food, fireworks at Patriot’s Park. 618-664-4969 http://www.greenvilleusa.org/ Greenville

Jul 4 Old Fashioned July 4th Celebration (St Clair Co). At Scheve Park. Softball and kickball tournaments, rides, kids games, good & drinks, raffle, poker, artisans, fireworks, local bands andFree admission. the US Air Force Band of MidAmerica. Free admission. 618-566-2964 Mascoutah

Jul 4 Family Fun Day and Fireworks (Madison Co). 5-9:30pm at Glazebrook Park Activities include rock wall climbing, zip lines, inflatables, vendors, fireworks at 9:15pm. 618-466-1483 Godfrey

Jul 4 Goreville Freedom Fest (Jackson Co). At Goreville Park. 11am-3pm car show (registration 9am), 4pm parade, music BBq, 9pm fireworks. Free admission. 618-995-2157 www.forevilleillinois.com Goreville

Jul 4 Eddyville 4th of July Celebration (Pope Co). Free admission. 618-672-4287 Eddyville

Jul 4 Rosiclaire Independence Day Parade (Hardin Co). 10:30am. Free event. 618-287-3271 Rosiclaire

Malia Obama, 1998 – The oldest daughter of President Barak and Michelle Obama.

Neil Simon, 1927 – An American playwrite and producer.

Ester Pauline Friedman, 1918 – Became known as Ann Lander, famous advice columnist and book author.  Twin sister to Abigail Van Buren, “Dear Abby.”

Pauline Ester Friedman, 1918 – Began ghosting an advice column in the name of Abigail Van Buren, but, writers soon began address the letters as “Dear Abby.”

Eva Marie Saint, 1927 – American actress, famous for such movies as, On the Waterfront and North by Northwest.

George Steinbrenner, 1930 – Principle owner of the New York Yankees baseball team since 1973.

Rube Goldberg, 1883 – Famous cartoonist for the New York Times.  Originated “Boob McNutt” 

Stephen Foster, 1826 – American songwriter and composer of tunes still famous today, such as, “Oh, Susannah”, “Camptown Races”, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”, and “My Old Kentucky Home.”

Calvin Coolidge, 1827 –  Served two terms as President of the United States of America, beginning in 1924.

Are you a red, white and blue baby?

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Basic U.s. Flag Etiquette

Why Frances Scott Wrote The Star Spangled Banner

DVR the fireworks on TV, and get out of the house for the real thing. Here are a few celebrations taking place in Columbus this year.

Red, White and Boom
Taking place a few days before the Fourth on July 1, Red, White and Boom is one of the biggest and best Independence Day celebrations in the Midwest. The vibrant and exciting fireworks display will be firing off from the Veterans Memorial in downtown Columbus. The celebration includes more than fireworks. Beginning at 10 a.m., food and novelty vendors will be throughout the area. Entertainment begins at noon, and it includes musicians and bands from the Columbus area. Don’t forget to save some room for the Taste of BOOM!, which takes place at 3 p.m. and ends at midnight. Live music will be in the background as you make your way through barbeque, pizza and kebobs. At 6 p.m. at COSI, the Independence Day Parade will begin. Then, the moment you’ve been waiting for – the fireworks display. At 10 p.m., grab your family and friends and find a cozy spot and view the vibrant fireworks display.

Glorious Fourth
Join other Columbus restaurants on July 4 in the Ohio Village. From noon until 5 p.m., enjoy old-fashioned family activities at the re-created 19th century village. A Grand Procession will start things off, followed by patriotic speeches, a concert by the Ohio Village Singers and a community dance. Don’t forget to enter yourself or a fellow food-lover in the pie-eating contest, and be sure to save room for the ice cream.

Doo Dah Parade
A nontraditional take on Fourth of July parades, the Doo Dah Parade is taking place on July 4 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Line the streets of Short North, Victorian and Italian Villages for this off-the-wall parade. Everyone is invited to participate – just have something funny to say or act out. Participants are encouraged to exercise their First Amendment right – through humor. While you’re there, partake in adult beverages, bands and food. The parade is free to watch, and after it is over, there will be a block party taking place on Buttles Avenue between High and Park Streets.

Independence Day Celebration with Smokey Robinson
This free celebration in Dublin features a concert by Smokey Robinson. The event begins at 10 a.m. with the Sherm Sheldon Fishing Derby. It is followed by a huge, community-wide parade at 11 a.m. that marches through Dublin’s Historic District. Get your chair and pick a spot outside of Dublin Coffman High School and enjoy live music, followed by fireworks at 9:50 p.m.

They declared that they would no longer be forced to bow down to the government that allowed them no voice. They would no longer surrender to this government their lands, their homes, their security, their freedom. Their declaration was simple, “Give me liberty or give me death!” They banded together and wrote the words:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

In that age, their declaration was for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with a government that would protect and serve the governed. Many men gave their lives for this cause. A cause best explained in Declaration of Independence, which if you have not read then Google it and read it! To me the most important part of this document was not only true then but is true again today. The following is an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”                  

When the war was over and the leaders of the states met to write our Constitution, they spoke for, argued for and comprised for the best form of government to represent the people of their states. At the end of the day on June 21, 1788, our country had the government that we deserved.

With upcoming anniversary of the birth of our great nation, I look around and wonder if those that we are governed by are worth fighting for or do we need to take up arms against them? What is the purpose of the Fourth of July? On July 4, 1776, it was a day to tell the British that we would no longer live under their monarchial rule.

Our elected officials are more concerned with sticking to party lines or trying to cover-up wiener shots on Twitter than maintain loyalty to their constituents or the Constitution. The fight however is not over. Call your congressman or congresswoman (must stay politically correct here), not just the one from your district but the ones from your state and your neighboring state. Call your mayor. Call your governor. Make your voice be heard. We do not yet need weapons to defend our liberties; diplomacy is our weapon. Our voice will always be heard at one place and that is the ballot box. That is what is meant by “alter the government”, to remove those that are doing us harm with their greed and their selfish quest for power and glory.

If you do not believe you need to make any calls then I ask you to again to go and read or re-read the Declaration of Independence. Read it slowly. Read the list of grievances and apply them to our government today. Our founding fathers would be ashamed of what we are letting our governments (state, local and federal) do to us.

Then ask yourself, would men and women like John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Rahm Emmanuel, Emmanuel Cleaver or Barack Obama been in the shoes of our founding fathers, ever stood up to the overwhelming power of the British Empire to bring freedom to our land? If your answer is no, they why do you let them lead you now? If your answer is yes, then you truly deserve the government you get at the end of the day.

Some states ban all consumer fireworks. Some allow all consumer fireworks,  while some allow “safe and sane” fireworks (more controlled, small, fireworks), some allow only sparklers and novelty items, and Arizona, which only allows novelty items. 

Hopefully this was interesting to you! Have a great 4th!! 

Thank you Gizmodo for the picture! 

Here’s a fun idea-

Go check out You-Tube for some crazy (home-made) firework shows!! I heard they have some pretty crazy (probably illegal) videos on there. 

Anyways. Have a good 4Th of July!

How to take great firework pictures: 

1. Use a tripod

You can’t have your shots be blury!

2. Turn of your flash

It won’t help you here

3. Shoot in Manual Mode

Auto-focus will likely ruin your shots

4. Turn down your shutter speed

That is, if you want to be able to capture the movements of the fireworks. Otherwise, turn it up. This is because the fireworks are moving. 

Hope you learned something!

Millions of Americans in the United States and abroad consider the Fourth of July as America’s Day of Independence and celebrate it as the most patriotic festival. There are some very little known facts about the Fourth of July.

Photo source: 

• The first actual signature was put on the document only on 2nd August 1776 and some of the other 55 even much later. The first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, the merchant John Hancock was one of the richest persons in all the 13 colonies.

Photo source:

• The Liberty Bell or Statehouse Bell, rang to proclaim independence is a myth. The bell cracked twice during testing, was hidden among hay and dung under the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church so that the British couldn’t capture and melt it into cannons. A myth was created a hundred years later that the bell was rung to summon people at the reading of the proclamation of independence on June 8th 1776. Every year, descendants of the Independence Declaration signers symbolically tap the Liberty Bell 13 times while bells across the nation ring 13 times to honour the 13 original states. 

Photo source: 
 

• The first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence were on hemp paper (made from Cannabis Sativa, still mostly illegal in USA) and the final one on parchment (animal hide).

Photo source:
 

• The first signature on the Declaration of Independence was a beautiful signature, which later became a synonym for signature, was large because “King George is able to read it without spectacles”, is a myth.

Image via Wikipedia

• The most crucial factor for increasing public support for separation from Great Britain was the immensely popular pamphlet “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine, who had been only 12 months in the US at that time.

Cover of Common Sense

• Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag in May or June 1776. This is a myth with no proof. But the designer is known. Frances, Hopkinson, one of the signatories sent a bill to the Board of Admiralty for “designing the United States Flag”.

Image by qthomasbower via Flickr

• The principal architect of the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson believed that people living without governments like the American Indian tribes were much happier than people living under European style governments.
• Many of the Founding Fathers, like Thomas Jefferson believed that the white and black races could not live together and black people would be happier living elsewhere and be deported.

Photo source:

• In 1870 the Congress made the 4th of July an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
• It was only in 1941 that the US Congress declared 4th of July a paid federal holiday.
• One US president, Calvin Coolidge was born on the fourth of July.
• Three American presidents died on the fourth of July. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, iconic signers of the declaration of independence both died on the 4th of July 1826, 50 years later, while James Monroe died in 1831.
• Current US President Obama’s daughter Malia Obama was born on the 4th of July.
• In 2009, New York city used 22 tons of pyrotechnics to celebrate the 4th of July

Safety Tip Number 4: Never light fireworks with any part of your body over the firework. When lighting the firework always use a long lighter or a punk so you can light it from a distance.

Safety Tip Number 3: Never try to re-light the fuse if the fuse burns halfway down don’t try to re-light it you’re just putting yourself more at risk for injury. If the fuse burns into the firework but its a dud let it sit for 5 minutes and then put it into water to make sure it can’t still go off.

Safety Tip Number 2: Never hold fireworks while you are shooting them off. Roman candles can be really tempting to hold but they can back fire and cause serious injury. Instead bury them at least a quarter of their length into the ground so if it back fires it won’t injury anyone. Same with firecrackers never light them and throw them.

Safety Tip Number 1: Never shoot fireworks at people, animals, or cars. While fireworks may be fun and cool, they are not fun when they involve a 9-1-1 call for a serious burns. I hope these tips help you have a safe and fun 4Th of July.

Image by Ed Yourdon via Flickr

Some children scream and cry all the way thought the firework display on the 4th of July. The reason from their crying can be from multiple reasons, but there are things you can do to help the child not be scared. We want the make the four of July fireworks enjoyable for everyone.

• Sleep – A child may cry just because they are staying up late and are over tired. Make sure the child gets a good nap before heading out to the park.

   

• Snacks – The child may be hungry. Give them a snack.

   

• Sick – The child may not be feeling well. To prevent this don’t feed them too much junk food and have lots of water to keep them hydrated.

   

• Board – The child has been board for a long time and is just not happy. Bring something for the child to do while waiting for the fireworks.

   

• Understanding – The child may be scared because they do not know what is going on. An explanation ahead of time may help them to keep calm.

   

• Space – While sitting up close may be fun for the older people; children are often scared because the fireworks are too close.

   

• Ear Muffs – Yes, it is the middle of summer, not winter. The noise from the fireworks may just be too loud for the child. Ear muffs are perfect to help muffle the sound so they won’t be so afraid. Plus they are helpful if the night gets cold.

   

• Glow Stick – Many children are just afraid of the dark. Glow sticks are a great way to help them keep calm from the dark.

   

Tip: Glow stick are much cheaper if bought ahead of time and are often found at most dollar stores.

Warning- A frighten child may panic and hide. Make sure you keep a close eye and or hand on them. This will help keep them safe and make them feel safer as well.

As I’m sure you can tell, it is in fact a huge business opportunity. We all buy lots of food to eat, and grab some fireworks to set of at night. Besides the traditional items that make billions on the Fourth, there are plenty of others that do just as well — maybe even better.

But why are we so inclined to buy stuff around this time of year? Because it feels patriotic. No matter how bad the economy is, or whatever is going on, we always like to feel supportive of our country; therefore when we buy things that are advertised with US flags and Fourth of July messages, we feel patriotic and like we are supporting our country.

Just some food for though. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

What do you think? Is this holiday just a business opportunity?