As many of you know, this weekend celebrates a big holiday in the good ol’ U.S. of A. and that would be Independence Day– July 4th– the Fourth of July! Just to get everyone on the same page here, the 4th of July represents our independence from Great Britain and the date that we  adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Coincidentally enough, every time I explain the 4th to people…I’m reminded of John Cleese’s “Letter to America” in which he writes for the Revocation of Independence. The letter is hysterical, but unfortunately– as you will see from the link– it’s provided by Snopes.com who went ahead and crushed my heart by telling me it’s actually not really from Mr. Cleese. Thanks again, Snopes.

So, to go back to the matter at hand– The Fourth of July– as a citizen of Columbus, OH, I am required to tell you all about one of the biggest events of the city: Red, White and Boom. I am writing this on July 3rd at 5:00 p.m. and already I can hear the planes going over with their advertisement banners and I have seen the Goodyear Blimp pass by multiple times– but dear friends, none of this makes me want to journey the three minutes downtown to experience this glorious event.

Red, White and Boom takes place every year on July 3rd in downtown Columbus and believe it or not– people travel far and wide for this firework display. The celebration begins around noon with the majority of the downtown streets shutting down (luckily, downtown offices are closed to observe the holiday). The start time doesn’t reflect the crowd, however; a hefty percent of people will stake out their “perfect location” and camp out the night before the event actually starts– now that’s dedication. The streets are lined with vendors, performance stages and games to play but there’s plenty of room for the big downtown parade to go through. Then when the skies darken and the buildings dim their lights, the sky is illuminated with one of the biggest firework displays in the Midwest– Red, White and Boom! There is even a soundtrack to the show that a local radio station will broadcast and the show is coordinated to the music. Honestly, it gets better and better each year with the advances in pyrotechnics, but yet– I stay home.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been there before! Once on the streets with the rest of the crowd and another time my family rented a hotel room, avoided the crowd, and watched the display way up in the air– it was a sight to see. But nowadays, it is a royal pain in the butt, and here’s why.

So what about you guys?

Do you have a big fireworks or Fourth of July display in your area and do you make an effort to attend or stay home? And if you’re not American, what huge celebrations do you go to or avoid in your area?

Here’s to enjoying the comfort of my air conditioner and the company of my boyfriend who always wears deodorant!

-M.