celebrating
the fourth of july

It doesn’t take much to have a celebration in your neighborhood for the Fourth of July. All you need are people, kids, dogs, and a certain celebratory chutzpah.

by sara devins

On our street, someone posts a sign saying what time we assemble for our parade. Beforehand, there are some preparations to be made. My son and his friends decorate their bicycles and unicycles, helmets, and clothing. We don’t forget the crepe paper, glue, and tape glitter. We get out our “dress up bag” and choose a hat or wig that we are feeling good about that year. We don varieties of red, white, and blue. Then, we add a flourish here and there. Finally, we are ready.

When we get to the street it is a thrill to see everyone. There are a few new faces, but most are familiar. Some of us are sillier than others, and it all works. We have garbage cans and bucket drums that we beat with a stick. There is a charged feeling. We aren’t going to a parade, we ARE the parade! A brief ceremonial introduction to the fête, a rendition of “It’s a Grand Old Flag” and we are off! The wheeled contraptions lead, while the walkers and talkers follow. We amble through the neighborhood, visiting with some folks we haven’t seen in a while. We are reacquainting and reconnecting. As we walk, we look at our neighborhood, our little park, the gardens and our children.

Along our route this year we actually had spectators! Well, not a lot of spectators, but a few. This is emboldening. We wave and carry on like politicians and luminaries. One woman throws pennies and candies at us. This is fun. This is our community.

Eventually, we end up where we began, a hodgepodge group of friends and neighbors standing around continuing to visit. Someone brings out donut holes and passes them around. Some adults and children go to the park and play tennis. The feeling is impromptu, casual, neighborly, and down home. This is good old American fun on the Fourth of July.