I think I’ve captured what it’s like to live in the Midwest during the 4th of July. What would you add to the list below?
1. Small town festivals
Fourth of July brings about cute town parades and festivals for the whole family to join in. If you’re in a small town, you probably have your 15 seconds of fame in the parade or you help set up the festivities, either through work, church groups or your uncle needs someone to walk in the bowling pin costume in the parade for his business.
Fourth of July picnics usually entail the entire extended family and/or neighbors and/or the entire town.
2. Picnics
Picnics are the perfect all day opportunity to get decked out in your 4th of July attire that you accidentally bought too impulsively before asking when you would realistically wear it.
During the first hour or so at the picnic, you’re like, “Oh! Watermelon, yum!” and the food is on point, and the next you’re like, “What is this heat wave? I’ve never experienced this in my life.”
It’s okay. I understand.
Speaking of food:
3. The corn on the cob, watermelon, grilling out hamburgers, some type of noodle salad, pie
It’s an over-eating holiday in disguise. You don’t feel it hit you until it’s too late. Then, you are informed of a neighbor’s feast that you have to make a stop at next still. (Your neighbor has the best bars, you can’t be rude.)
4. Mosquitoes
They catch us when we’re most vulnerable and distracted by fireworks outside. You probably find yourself lathering on the mosquito repellant at least two to three times throughout the night.
If you’ve learned about the ruthless mosquitoes the hard way in previous years, you maybe find yourself sitting in your car with windows rolled up until the firework show begins. If a family member has to open the door or accidently cracks the window, your safe haven has been compromised and the whole family goes to battle with the car ceiling lurkers and blood-suckers.
5. Fireworks on the lake
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself at your cabin or your friend’s friend knows someone with a cabin, then you probably catch a cool fireworks show while on a boat out on the lake. Probably in the hours before the fireworks, the sun burn finally begins to kick in from being on the water all day.
If you don’t know anyone with a boat or a body of water, which may be the few 20 percent, you end up as the car mosquito warriors.
6. Mosquitos and fireworks on the lake
Sadly, mosquitoes are attracted to bodies of water, so if you’re the lucky ones on the lake, you’re never really safe- if not an even bigger target.
Good luck out there.
7. State border crossing fireworks
Although I personally have not participated in the rebellious and illegal act of bringing certain types of fireworks over state borders, I know of the hush-hush talk about it. You probably have done it or you know someone who thought they were super cool for doing it.
8. The late night firework enthusiasts
Okay, so 4th of July is over, yet a fellow townie is overly enthusiastic about their fireworks and they think they have to use them up before daybreak.
Happy 4th of July!
