Many Americans weren’t letting worries about their pocketbooks keep them from traveling and enjoying fireworks as they celebrate their nation’s birth with parades, cookouts and fiery splashes of colors against the evening sky. Travel records were projected to fall, with people already jamming airports and crowding highways ahead of the Fourth of July to get to their destinations. Fireworks also were expected to reach an all-time high with an untold number of backyard displays in addition to 16,000 professional shows lighting up the horizon from sea to shining sea, a consumer fireworks industry group said.
Quick Read
- Americans to celebrate Fourth of July with parades, cookouts — and lots of fireworks
- Despite economic concerns, Americans are expected to travel and enjoy fireworks as they celebrate Independence Day with parades, cookouts, and colorful displays in the sky.
- Travel records are projected to break, with busy airports and crowded highways as people head to their destinations for the holiday.
- Fireworks sales are expected to hit an all-time high, with numerous backyard displays adding to 16,000 professional shows nationwide.
- “This is how we celebrate. It’s the bombs bursting in air. It’s the rockets’ red glare. That’s how people show their pride and patriotism,” said Julie Heckman of the American Pyrotechnics Association.
- The Transportation Security Administration reported nearly 3 million people traveling through airports in a single day last week, a figure expected to be surpassed this week. AAA projected 60.6 million people traveling by car during the holiday.
- Celebrations include unique community traditions such as lobster boat races in Down East, Maine, the Liberty Bell ringing in Philadelphia, and a tug-of-war contest in Bolinas and Stinson Beach, California.
- New York’s Coney Island will host its annual hot dog eating contest.
- The Northern California city of Oroville canceled its fireworks due to the Thompson Fire, displacing 26,000 residents.
- The holiday arrives amidst deep political polarization and a divisive presidential race. Boston’s annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular aims to unite people, despite political differences, with conductor Keith Lockhart noting the importance of setting aside differences to embrace commonalities, even if only for a day.
The Associated Press has the story:
Americans to celebrate 4th of July with parades, cookouts & lots of fireworks
Newslooks- (AP)
Many Americans weren’t letting worries about their pocketbooks keep them from traveling and enjoying fireworks as they celebrate their nation’s birth with parades, cookouts and fiery splashes of colors against the evening sky.
Travel records were projected to fall, with people already jamming airports and crowding highways ahead of the Fourth of July to get to their destinations. Fireworks also were expected to reach an all-time high with an untold number of backyard displays in addition to 16,000 professional shows lighting up the horizon from sea to shining sea, a consumer fireworks industry group said.
“This is how we celebrate. It’s the bombs bursting in air. It’s the rockets’ red glare. That’s how people show their pride and patriotism,” Julie Heckman of the American Pyrotechnics Association told The Associated Press.
All signs pointed to big celebrations: The Transportation Security Administration reported that a record-breaking nearly 3 million people traveled through airports in a single day last week, and that figure is expected to be broken this week. And AAA projected that 60.6 million people will travel by car during the holiday period.
Part of the boost in travel was attributed to easing inflation, even though Americans remain concerned about the economy.
Plenty of barbecue, desserts, cold drinks and the Stars and Stripes were on tap. But Americans were also celebrating in other ways unique to their communities.
Off the rocky coast in Down East, Maine, some planned to enjoy lobster boat races. Descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were ringing the Liberty Bell 13 times — once for each of the original colonies — in Philadelphia. The California communities of Bolinas and Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco, were engaging in their annual tug-of-war contest in which losers end up in a lagoon.
And, of course, there’s the annual hot dog eating contest on New York’s Coney Island.
At least one community was in for a muted observance, however: The Northern California city of Oroville’s annual fireworks were canceled as an estimated 26,000 residents remained displaced by the growing Thompson Fire, while hundreds of firefighters toiled under extreme heat to keep flames from reaching more homes.
The July Fourth holiday generally unites Americans in their shared love of country, but the 2024 version comes against a backdrop of deep political polarization and a divisive presidential race.
In Boston, where tens of thousands were expected to enjoy the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, maestro Keith Lockhart said it’s inspiring to see people of different political stripes gather on Charles River Esplanade. But he noted that “one would have to have one’s head pretty deeply stuck in the sand to not notice the deep divisions in our country.”
“It is, indeed, a dangerous time,” he wrote in an email before the show. “If, even for one day, we can set aside our differences and embrace our commonalities, this has to be a positive thing.”
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