(Boston) Revelers across the United States braved the heat and heavy rain to take part in July 4 activities on Tuesday – celebrating the nation’s founding with parades, fireworks and food-tasting contests. hot dogs, all while political divisions persist within a population also plagued with concern about the future of the country.
In Boston, people took their places on the grassy oval in front of the Hatch Shell, an iconic outdoor concert stage along the Charles River, before the traditional fireworks display. Hundreds of thousands of revelers usually pile up on both sides of the river for the fireworks display that follows a concert.
In another long-running celebration, lovers of competitive eating gathered to watch Nathan’s famous 4th of July hot dog tasting contest held in New York’s Coney Island section.
Mother Nature plays the spoilsport
In many states, the weather has been taken into account in the holding of the festivities
The 10-kilometer Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, which usually attracts thousands of runners in wet weather, was cut short due to possible thunderstorms.
Further north, storms moved through the Dakotas and Minnesota to southern Kansas and Missouri, endangering barbecues and fireworks. Hailstones the size of ping pong balls were reported in southeastern South Dakota.
The planned fireworks display in Yankton, South Dakota, was postponed to Wednesday evening as lightning prevented crews from setting up the show. In Nebraska, the Omaha Symphony’s Independence Day celebration, which includes a concert and fireworks, has also been postponed to Wednesday night.
New Orleans residents welcomed rain and slightly cooler conditions after days of heat and humidity. General Roy S. Kelley’s fireboat was returning to the river’s edge for a patriotic water show, sending streams of red, white and blue water into the air.
Original celebrations
While the holidays have shed light on how Americans have different views on patriotism, many people have embraced the holidays with whimsy and a sense of community.
In Hannibal, Missouri, the hometown of Mark Twain, July 4 weekend coincides with National Tom Sawyer Day. Fence painting and frog jumping contests were held.
Altoona, Iowa, dubbed its celebration “CORNival.” In addition to the nod to America’s birthday, the festival marks the 100e anniversary of the first acre of commercial hybrid seed corn, grown and harvested in Altoona in 1923. Twenty two-meter tall fiberglass corncob statues decorated by local artists were unveiled and will later be placed around the city of 21,000 inhabitants.
In eastern Tennessee, the city of Gatlinburg held its annual Independence Day Midnight Parade on Tuesday morning. George Hawkins, the parade’s creator, died on Saturday, local media reported.
Several dead and injured
Some fireworks have resulted in tragic accidents.
A fireworks explosion Monday in western Michigan killed one woman and left nine others with injuries ranging from minor to serious, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department said.
Early Tuesday, fireworks improperly thrown into a trash can sparked a blaze that destroyed two homes in Parker, a town just southeast of Denver, according to fire officials.
Some cities have opted instead for shows in which drones equipped with lights are coded to create massive, moving shapes in the sky. Lake Tahoe, Calif., Salt Lake City and Boulder, along with a few other towns in Colorado, have preferred these airshows which can display a large American flag and the year 1776 in blue, white and red.
Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago, where a shooting that broke out last year during the July 4 parade left seven people dead, also staged a drone show to avoid a backfire of fireworks.
Gun violence also spoiled some of the festive atmosphere, as shootings left five dead in Philadelphia and three in Texas.