It is the fourth here. Not many American flags that is for sure. In the old days my parents went to the consulate and have what they could not get in Japan Coca-Cola. Things certainly have changed. Japan has many Coke machines but ironically they sometimes don’t have Cokes in them.
In America when I was growing up there was the Fourth of July picnic. At night there was the fireworks display in the bay that I could see from my house.
What traditions do you remember?



We could see fireworks from our back yard too, the community pool would do a display – we’d put out lawn chairs & watch when we weren’t running around catching lightning bugs. Our present hometown runs an Old Fashioned Fourth of July every year – bicycle parade where all the kids decorate their bikes, old time games like sack races, watermelon eating, stilts and hoops, some brass bands, and town ball (a precursor to baseball), high-wheel bike demonstrations – they used to have a very funny guy who did a snake oil salesman routine. If it’s not too terrifically hot tomorrow we’ll probably go for a looksee.
I forgot about the watermelon eating contest. Btw in Japan watermelons are sold round.
Hi 10 Cents, Happy Glorious Fourth!
When we were kids we put on our Scout uniforms, including, for me, white gloves, and marched in the town parade, just like on Memorial Day.
Then we went home, changed into shorts, fired up the barbecue grill (which was started with a wood fire) and prepared to host hordes of relatives from the city.
At dusk we reveled with our illegal fireworks. I was only allowed to run around with a couple of sparklers.
When I had my own kids at home, we did fun things like that, but we also took out time to sit around and read out loud the Declaration. Every year. I hope it stuck, but sometimes I fear not. The outer world is so relentless.
(If a kid wins one of the contests, they give him a wooden nickel.)
I remember for a while there were steel pennies but where does one get a wooden nickel?
We used to go out in boats to watch the fireworks from the Oceanside Pier. During the day, the YC kids got tasked with churning the ice cream maker. Mostly we spent time on or in the water.
Prescott has cancelled its fireworks due to fire hazard.
Unbelievable (!) considering the character of this wonderful city. I still remember the charming town square and going to a saloon in the downtown area where a real live cowboy opened the swinging doors and said to me, “After you, little lady.”
:))
Search “Goodwin Fire” and you’ll understand.
I remember we would walk down to the town dock and watch fireworks from the neighboring town. We would bring crab nets and flashlights and catch the ones we could spot in the dark waters of Great South Bay.
The display was dazzling, done by a local Italian family that emigrated to the area after the war and became famous firework makers the world over.
The kids would sneak sips of Reingold and the moms would chatter on and the dads would stand silent with each thunderous detonation echoing over the water, reminding them of recent events with real explosives they seldom talked about.
We would go home and boil the crabs and enjoy the blessings of America.
The best 4th of July I have ever had is a cruise around Ellis Island where we stopped to watch the fireworks exploding around Lady Liberty. I doubt anything could top that experience.
Picturing it gives me a thrill. Thank you.
My FIL was a Pearl Harbor survivor and we would spend the holiday on Coronado Island. The City of Coronado puts on a great 4th of July parade. I have 8mm clips of it way back when with President Nixon and the president of Mexico in an open convertible.
I used to live in San Clemente and had quite a few naval neighbors who worked on Coronado.
I dislike the state of CA in general, but San Diego and Coronado are pretty special. Luv that hotel!
The Del is a real gem. The first lights were installed by Edison himself. I was concerned when a new owner began a complete rehab, but it turned out true to the original.