The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
July 4 celebrated with fireworks
With backyard barbecues and fireworks, Americans celebrated Independence Day by participating in time-honored traditions that expressed pride in their country’s 242nd birthday.
But this quintessential American holiday was being marked with a sense of a United States divided for some, evidenced by competing televised events in the nation’s capital.
July Fourth festivities ranged from the lively and to the lighthearted, with Macy’s July Fourth fireworks and Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest.
The day’s events also were stately and traditional, with parades lining streets across the country and the world’s oldest commissioned warship firing a 21gun salute to mark the 242 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
For some Western states, however, the holiday was a bit more muted as high wildfire danger forced communities to cancel fireworks displays.
Here are some highlights of Wednesday’s festivities:
Oldest warship
The USS Constitution has sailed in Boston Harbor and fired its guns again to mark Independence Day.
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 21gun salute. The ship’s commander saluted the crowds gathered there.
A Navy sailor on board recited the Declaration of Independence during the cruise.
A historic parade
Crowds lined the streets in a Rhode Island town 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.
Dueling celebrations
The country’s longest-running live national July Fourth television tradition is PBS’ broadcast of music and fireworks from the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn. But it’s facing new counterprogramming this year from the White House, which is hosting its own concert and view of the National Park Service’s fireworks show.
PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” has the bigger stars, including The Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, Pentatonix, Chita Rivera, Luke Combs and The Temptations. It will be hosted by John Stamos.
The entertainers on the 90-minute White House event airing on the Hallmark Channel include singer-songwriter Sara Evans, pianist Lola Astanova and two former “American Idol” finalists. Both shows will include the fireworks display from the National Park Service.
First lady 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.
Lighting up the night skies
In New York, the Macy’s fireworks show over the East River promises 25 minutes of sparkle and ahhhh plus the West Point Band and entertainers including Kelly Clarkson, Ricky Martin and Keith Urban on NBC’s broadcast.
But some places in the American West have canceled their planned July Fourth fireworks because of high wildfire danger, and others are doing drone light displays instead of pyrotechnics.
In Colorado, the wildfire danger forced some communities to cancel their fireworks. However, other shows will still go 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 is still on, including live music a water fight with firefighters. Aspen will have a fire-proof drone light display above town.