NEW YORK (Reuters) – Millions of Americans took a welcome break on Thursday to mark the Fourth of July, attending parades, fireworks displays and barbecues to escape the daily, troubling news from home and abroad.
This holiday, which marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, is a day that Americans traditionally celebrate with proud displays of old-fashioned patriotism.
This year, with the country’s slide into hyper-partisanship and an election battle underway between President Joe Biden and his challenger Donald Trumpit was a chance for Americans to come together for a day and forget their differences.
“It seems like the country is more divided than ever,” said Dwight Kinsey, 69, a New York City resident who was soaking up the sun on Coney Island beach Wednesday.
“But anyway, when you come here, it’s a beautiful day, the beach is clean and beautiful and, you know, life goes on.”
With red, white and blue flags and pennants decorating homes and shops from New England to Hawaii, Independence Day was, as usual, all about family, food and summer fun.
In New York, the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest usually sets the tone for a day of excess. After sunset, it ends with a bang along the Hudson River, where Macy’s fireworks light up the sky against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
Even though he is a 16-time champion Joey Chestnut Although the man known as Jaws was persona non grata at Nathan’s contest this year, he was still a major figure during Coney Island’s annual feeding frenzy.
Chestnut, who took home top honors last July 4 by scarfing down 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes, was disinvited this year after striking a deal with a rival company that makes veggie dogs. Instead, the champ will livestream his own July 4 hot dog event from a military base in Texas.
In his absence, a field of 15 lesser-known drivers will compete for the vacant “Mustard Belt” that goes to the winner.
Later in the day, department store chain Macy’s will hold its 48th annual Fourth of July fireworks display along the Hudson for the first time in a decade. In recent years, the spectacle has been held along the East River.
About 60,000 shells are fired from ships moored in the river and fly about 1,000 feet into the air. They then explode in dozens of colors and with a variety of special effects. They are sure to delight the tens of thousands of spectators who stand on both sides of the Hudson River, which separates Manhattan from New Jersey.
Other cities around the country host fireworks shows, cycling races, baseball games and other events that give people a chance to forget their worries and relax.
In Southern California, Huntington Beach hosts “the largest Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi.” Organizers say the city, which began hosting Fourth of July events in 1904, now draws more than 500,000 people.
The festival kicks off in the morning with a 5K run, followed by a parade and fireworks display over the Pacific Ocean in the evening. The fun continues on Friday with a block party and rodeo.
In Alaska, where the sun barely sets in the summer, the holiday started early with a midnight fireworks display in the port city of Seward. It was the first event in a three-day Fourth of July festival that also includes a grueling 5K road race up Mount Marathon and a boat parade.
(Reporting by Frank McGurty; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
