It's been 230 years since this great country of ours came to be. 230 years. That's a lot of years!
I remember when we celebrated the Bicentennial in 1976. I was almost 9 years old (September), but my parents, aunts and uncles made a huge deal out of it. We had a huge picnic at my house with all of my family members plus a few friends thrown in for good measure. (I wish I had a picture, but I don't have any of them at my house.) My one aunt is very craft and she took ordinary bathroom tiles and painted about 50 of them in a patriotic theme as a sort of "party favor" for all the guests. Other than the fact that it rained all day (figures), that's about all that I remember of that celebration.
Independence Day is always a big deal in Philadelphia for reasons that are obvious. I, personally, haven't been to any of the festivities in years. I used to go to the big fireworks display at Penn's Landing every year. I just got lazy and tired of crowds. Plus, I am in Center City for 5 days a week and am grateful to be out of it for the weekends and holidays! I have a co-worker who attends the big soiree in July 4th at the Art Museum every year. She's lived in Philadelphia her whole life and loves everything about the city. I love Philadelphia, just not enough to sit in a hot crowd for hours on end!
Anyway, Happy Birthday, USA! I hope everyone has a great time celebrating!