Remembering the Fourth of July:
Some years ago, my mother (under a pen name) wrote a long series of columns for the FINDLAY TIMES, a newspaper in Findlay, Ohio. This (after the cut line) is her column for July 1, 1995, with some minor corrections from me:
In those few moments as they passed by me, flags flying, legs moving in time to the music, drums beating loud and hard, fifes piercing the ears with their shrill piping, I felt truly back in the late seventeen hundreds. A sensation was one of becoming a part of that time - when our country was very young and struggling to make it.
For me, the 4th of July has always been the crown jewel of summer. Memorial Day is the opening day for everything that summer means - and Labor Day means “start packing up and get ready to get back to business again; the party by the name of summer is over.”
This year has been a little different because Spring hung around for so long. April Showers made a pest of herself and persisted into May’s time without so much as a 'by-your-leave'. May, naturally, was put out and stayed on into the first few weeks of June. ‘My May flowers haven't even had a chance to bloom properly.’ she pouted. With all this foot-dragging, Summer was delayed and when she did start, she turned up the heat to prove she was really here!
Except for some too-hot and sweaty days, I love summer and took forward to the 4th with a mixture of patriotism and joy in the season. July means warm days and pleasant nights, a yard full of flowers, a garden with fresh greens for salads, and the big outdoor birthday for our country.
I love birthday parties, and the United States throws a big one every year. The one I remember in particular was the one we celebrated in 1976. Wow!
That was one time I was unreservedly grateful for television. The entire nation, from coast to coast, went patriotic with abandon. There were special celebrations everywhere all day and the TV cameras brought it to us. We saw colorful decorations in red white and blue; balloons, parades. marchers in uniforms, and floats with all sorts of patriotic motifs - soldiers, the Liberty Bell, George Washington and scenes from the Revolutionary War. It was great!
That evening, there were great gatherings of people in Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland, where orchestras played and choruses sang patriotic music, and beautiful displays of fireworks were shot into the sky. The very best one of these, though, took place in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Boston Pops Orchestra finished their concert with John Phillip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever.
While they played, a battery of cannon roared out from across Boston Harbor. The crowd went wild and cheered themselves hoarse. I discovered that I too was cheering and crying with the emotion of the moment. It was wonderful!
I feel fortunate to have seen that centennial celebration. There won't be another one in my lifetime.
One year on the 4th of July, my son and I were in Williamsburg, Virginia. The big memory I have of that day was watching the costumed Fife and Drum Corps marching around the streets of the town and playing tunes from the early days of the colonies. In particular, I remember Yankee Doodle. It was like taking a step back in time to 200 years ago.
Restored Williamsburg is a particular gem of the 18th century and of coarse, the people who live and work there go around in the dress of that period. The men who marched and played made a vital impression of that bygone time. In those few moments as they passed by me, flags flying, legs moving in time to the music, drums beating loud and hard, fifes piercing the ears with their shrill piping, I felt truly back in the late seventeen hundreds. A sensation was one of becoming a part of that time - when our country was very young and struggling to make it.
So, here you are, 4th of July, at our door once again. Is the barbecue grill clean? Do we have enough charcoal or gas to run it? What about the mustard? Who's bringing the baked beans and potato salad? Mustn't forget the ice for the drinks. Let's make sure everyone has a good time!
In those few moments as they passed by me, flags flying, legs moving in time to the music, drums beating loud and hard, fifes piercing the ears with their shrill piping, I felt truly back in the late seventeen hundreds. A sensation was one of becoming a part of that time - when our country was very young and struggling to make it.
For me, the 4th of July has always been the crown jewel of summer. Memorial Day is the opening day for everything that summer means - and Labor Day means “start packing up and get ready to get back to business again; the party by the name of summer is over.”
This year has been a little different because Spring hung around for so long. April Showers made a pest of herself and persisted into May’s time without so much as a 'by-your-leave'. May, naturally, was put out and stayed on into the first few weeks of June. ‘My May flowers haven't even had a chance to bloom properly.’ she pouted. With all this foot-dragging, Summer was delayed and when she did start, she turned up the heat to prove she was really here!
Except for some too-hot and sweaty days, I love summer and took forward to the 4th with a mixture of patriotism and joy in the season. July means warm days and pleasant nights, a yard full of flowers, a garden with fresh greens for salads, and the big outdoor birthday for our country.
I love birthday parties, and the United States throws a big one every year. The one I remember in particular was the one we celebrated in 1976. Wow!
That was one time I was unreservedly grateful for television. The entire nation, from coast to coast, went patriotic with abandon. There were special celebrations everywhere all day and the TV cameras brought it to us. We saw colorful decorations in red white and blue; balloons, parades. marchers in uniforms, and floats with all sorts of patriotic motifs - soldiers, the Liberty Bell, George Washington and scenes from the Revolutionary War. It was great!
That evening, there were great gatherings of people in Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland, where orchestras played and choruses sang patriotic music, and beautiful displays of fireworks were shot into the sky. The very best one of these, though, took place in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Boston Pops Orchestra finished their concert with John Phillip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever.
While they played, a battery of cannon roared out from across Boston Harbor. The crowd went wild and cheered themselves hoarse. I discovered that I too was cheering and crying with the emotion of the moment. It was wonderful!
I feel fortunate to have seen that centennial celebration. There won't be another one in my lifetime.
One year on the 4th of July, my son and I were in Williamsburg, Virginia. The big memory I have of that day was watching the costumed Fife and Drum Corps marching around the streets of the town and playing tunes from the early days of the colonies. In particular, I remember Yankee Doodle. It was like taking a step back in time to 200 years ago.
Restored Williamsburg is a particular gem of the 18th century and of coarse, the people who live and work there go around in the dress of that period. The men who marched and played made a vital impression of that bygone time. In those few moments as they passed by me, flags flying, legs moving in time to the music, drums beating loud and hard, fifes piercing the ears with their shrill piping, I felt truly back in the late seventeen hundreds. A sensation was one of becoming a part of that time - when our country was very young and struggling to make it.
So, here you are, 4th of July, at our door once again. Is the barbecue grill clean? Do we have enough charcoal or gas to run it? What about the mustard? Who's bringing the baked beans and potato salad? Mustn't forget the ice for the drinks. Let's make sure everyone has a good time!