The 4th of July

The 4th of July is a big deal around here. True, Alaska was not a part of the United States when independence was achieved, but since statehood, our community,as small as we are, has had men involved in every major war. For this community, Independence Day is a day to celebrate not just the day the U.S. gained its independence, but what has been done since then to keep this country as great as it is. We celebrate the veterans and all that they stand for. We remember those who have served, in every branch of the military, and came home heroes. We remember the POW's, MIA's, and those who were delivered back home in caskets. We celebrate for each and every one of them.

This year, my 4th of July started at 8AM. I was exhausted, but got up anyway, because we had promised to cart our nieces and nephews around to make sure they got a spot on the fire trucks.



It was raining, but we didn't let that stop us. Not by a long shot.





The parade was short this year because of the weather, but the kids who did join seemed to be having a lot of fun.



After the parade, we all gather at what was once a ballfield. It's now basically a parking lot and I can't imagine it ever being a baseball field but if my Yaya says it was, it was. There are tons of booths selling all kinds of not-so-good-for-you-but-really-yummy-food and toys.





After the prizes for the parade participants are announced, the races and contests begin. They have events for all ages. There's the sand pit for 2 to 5 year olds where they get to dig for coins. There are running races, 3-legged races, slow bike races, a Duck Walk race, tug-of-war, watermelon eating contests, apple peeling contests, nail driving contests, egg and water balloon tosses, and an egg carry where the kids have to carry an egg in a spoon. The events are a lot of fun to watch and there are money prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers.



Even Lucione, who is always complaining about being cold, managed to have a blast. Here she is with her cousin Courtney on the left and her best friend Jasmine on the right. The fact that she won 1st in her slow bike race was just icing on the cake.



That's Lindsey in the white t-shirt. She won first place in her race and 3rd in her 3-legged race.



This is my nephew Chatam (in the black) getting ready for the Duck Walk.

After the events were over, we all went home to dry off, haha. The fireworks were not a sure thing because by 3PM the rain was coming down so hard it sounded like hail. We didn't need to worry, though. By 8PM the rain stopped and at 10PM when the fireworks started, it was a very light mist and low overcast.

Thanks to Jasmine (pictured above) I was able to get some pretty good shots of the fireworks. She was born completely deaf but is quite capable of speaking well enough to be understood by anyone who will listen. She was standing next to me hollaring, "Now! Now! Now!"











After the main fireworks ended, at Midnight, we picked up Michael's cousin and his cousin's son and took them for a drive. We went out to the runway where there were a lot of families lighting their own fireworks. You could look in any direction and see fireworks. It was very loud, but such a sight to see. By 1AM we were totally exhausted and made our way home.

So that was my 4th of July. The good news is, we get to do it all over again on August 7th when we celebrate the founding of this great community I have the honor and privledge to live in.