For as long as I can remember I've done the same thing on the 4th of July, with two exceptions (2000, when I was in Germany with Heidi and Cara and last year, when I was in NYC with Sarah): walked to the local parade (and sat in the same spot for, oh, I don't know, like 25 years?), had family bbq (sometimes also a friend's bbq) then carnival and fireworks in Harrer Park.
The collective experience is known in our little village as "Morton Grove Days" and is fairly popular around town. The carnival lasts for 4 or 5 days, and is set up in the American Legion parking lot. When I was growing up, it was the tilt-a-whirl, ferris wheel and other rides that had my attention. Now that I am grown up, I have started to think about the safety rides that get set up in a parking lot by a bunch of long haired scraggly "carnies" who take every chance they get to leer at you - thus the main attraction has become the Beer Garden (and I don't even drink beer).
The fireworks display is fun, but is definitely that of a small town - they shoot the things off one by one and have a really big finish, so that it goes something like this:
Poof.
Crowd: Ooooh
Poof.
Crowd: Ahhhh.
POP!
Crowd: EEK!
Poof!
Crowd: oooh
PoofSizzle!POP!POP!POP!Poof!
Crowd: Ahhh... (etc)
We used to drive to the park for the fireworks, and set up blankets and chairs in the back of the El Camino. Then they closed the parking lot so no one could park there (Morton Grove crowd control) and so we started walking instead.
I didn't go last night to see the fireworks - instead, I stayed at home, stretched out on the floor and watched the Macy's show from NYC, did all the ooohing and ahhing etc. It was almost like being there.
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