Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Trump salute to military part of nation’s revelry
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised the U.S. military for keeping America “safe, strong, proud, mighty and free” and used the Independence Day holiday to thank them for being willing to put their lives on the line in defense of the nation.
“Two hundred and 42 years ago on July 4, 1776, America’s founders adopted the Declaration of Independence and changed the course of human history,” said Trump, addressing hundreds of military families attending a holiday picnic. He spoke from a balcony overlooking the lawn.
“But our freedom exists only because there are brave Americans willing to give their lives, to defend it and defend our great country,” added Trump, who was accompanied by his wife, Melania. “America’s liberty has been earned through the blood, sweat and sacrifice of American patriots.”
A concert and viewing of the fireworks near the Washington Monument was also in Wednesday’s lineup.
Before greeting guests on the lawn, Trump praised service members and their families as “truly unbelievable people.”
The White House invited some 1,500 military families to the picnic, according to the first lady’s office, with 5,500 more invited for the fireworks display.
Entertainers appearing at
the 90-minute concert televised on the Hallmark Channel included singer-songwriter Sara Evans, pianist Lola Astanova and former American Idol finalists Jonny Brenns and Jax.
PBS’ A Capitol Fourth, the country’s longest-running live national July Fourth television tradition, had the bigger stars, including The Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, Pentatonix, Chita Rivera, Luke Combs and The Temptations. John Stamos was scheduled to host.
Both shows were set to show the fireworks display from the National Park Service.
Melania Trump said the White House show would allow Americans to “tune in from their homes and be part of the festivities.” PBS declined to comment.
Across the country, Americans celebrated Independence Day with backyard barbecues, watching fireworks and participating in time-honored traditions.
From New York to California, July Fourth festivities ranged from the lively to the lighthearted.
In Boston Harbor, the USS Constitution sailed and fired its guns to mark the holiday.
The world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat left its berth at the Charlestown Navy Yard on Wednesday morning. It glided through the harbor to mark 242 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The ship, nicknamed Old Ironsides, traveled to Fort Independence on Castle Island to fire a 21-gun salute. The ship’s commander saluted the crowds gathered there.
In Rhode Island, crowds lined the streets to see what’s billed as the nation’s oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration. Begun in 1785, the Bristol parade typically attracts about 100,000 people to the seaside town.
This year’s was a scorcher: Temperatures hovered near 90 degrees when the parade began late Wednesday morning, and some marchers were treated for heat exhaustion and taken off the route.
In New York, the Macy’s fireworks show painted skies with patriotic pride as thousands of people watched along the city’s East River.
The crowd oohed, cheered, snapped pictures and clapped loudly enough to be heard above the blasts of 75,000 shells and effects over 25 minutes. Before the pyrotechnics, artists including Kelly Clarkson, Ricky Martin, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban performed on NBC’s broadcast.
This was the first Fourth of July that many people were able to call themselves U.S. citizens after participating in naturalization ceremonies across the country.
In New Hampshire, more than 100 people from 48 countries became U.S. citizens during a ceremony at the Strawbery Banke museum in Portsmouth as part of the museum’s annual American Celebration. A ceremony was also held aboard the USS New Jersey, where dozens of people from countries including Vietnam and Bangladesh were sworn in as citizens.
The new citizens pledged allegiance to a country where some people lament that the ability to debate respectfully the toughest issues of the day seems all but lost.
Utah LGBTQ groups marched for the first time in a prominent July Fourth festival in the conservative city of Provo after years of organizers blocking them from participating.
The groups were met by cheers and rainbow flags as they marched Wednesday morning in the America’s Freedom Festival parade.
Participants included a center for LGBTQ youths and an organization that works to bridge divides between the LGBTQ community and the Mormon church.
The groups’ parade application was initially denied this year by festival organizers who said participants cannot focus on political or social issues but should instead focus on patriotism.
County officials threatened to pull $100,000 in taxpayer money from the privately organized event until festival organizers struck a deal allowing the groups to participate.
For some Western states, the holiday was a bit more muted as the threat of wildfires loomed.
In Colorado, the wildfire danger forced some communities to cancel their fireworks displays. However, other shows were still set to go on as planned in Denver, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins.
The small mountain town of Silverton, in southwestern Colorado, called off the fireworks part of its annual Independence Day party, but the rest of Wednesday’s celebration was still on. Aspen planned to have a fire-proof drone light display above town.