New York: From flashy firework displays for massive crowds to small-town parades, Americans celebrated the US’ 241st birthday in both joyous and serious ways.
Tuesday’s events even went international, as US senators travelled to Afghanistan and spent the holiday with the troops and an Independence Day exhibition took Major League Baseball to London.
Along with the fireworks, July Fourth also comes with some light-hearted traditions, like competitive eating contests. But the holiday is taking place in a nation that has grappled with divides this past year. And in an era of concerns about security, the Independence Day celebrations are mixed with precautions.
Sparkle and flash
Thousands upon thousands of fireworks turned the night sky over New York City into a festival of colour during the annual Macy’s fireworks show. Crowds lined up along the East River to watch.
The 60,000 shells launched from five barges went off at an average of 2,400 shells per minute and exploded into happy faces and flowers in colours including purple, orange and yellow. The crowd cheered and applauded wildly, with lots of oohs and cries of “Look at that!”
Melissa Beasley, who recently moved to New York from Alabama, said she hoped the fireworks show was an inspiration.
“For all of the people here, I hope it brings them together and makes them realise that there is a wonderful fact about the United States in which all these tribes, all these different types of people can come together and celebrate the fact that we live here relatively peacefully with each other,” she said.
Security to get into the area was tight. Police set up checkpoints to examine bags, and onlookers had to leave chairs and blankets behind in favour of standing. Some officers were heavily armed, with bulletproof vests and helmets.
New York resident G. Brian Hutchinson was happy to see them, thanking each one as he walked by.
“These guys are the best,” he said. “It’s a hard job they [have] got, keeping us safe in New York City at an event like this.”
Before the fireworks went off, artists including Jennifer Lopez, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley performed.
A first for the president
For President Donald Trump’s first Independence Day in office, he and First Lady Melania Trump hosted a picnic for military families at the White House.
Rain threatened the event on the South Lawn but cleared up as Trump stepped out to address the crowd from a balcony. The Republican president pledged his “unwavering support” and told the crowd that he will “always have your back.”
Before the picnic, Trump kicked off his holiday at his golf club in Virginia. He arrived at the club in Sterling just before 10am and spent nearly four hours there before returning to the White House. Aides did not answer questions about whether he was golfing.
Later, the festive star-spangled crowd that gathered for the concert and fireworks in the National Mall couldn’t avoid being reminded of the ugly reality of life in Washington in 2017.
Concertgoers were greeted by heavy security, including police officers with semi-automatic rifles around their necks and roads blocked with concrete barriers, military vehicles and construction equipment.
And host John Stamos took time during the Capitol Fourth concert on the West Lawn of the US Capitol to honour one police officer in particular: special agent David Bailey, of the US Capitol Police, who was wounded while protecting members of Congress during a shooting at a baseball practice last month.
The concert featured performances by the Beach Boys, the Four Tops and the Blues Brothers.
Senators celebrate fourth with troops abroad
Rhode Island US Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says it was emotional and inspiring to spend July Fourth with troops in Afghanistan.
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, led a group of senators to Pakistan and Afghanistan for the holiday weekend. They visited a military base in South Waziristan and met with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad before travelling to Kabul, Afghanistan.
Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a phone interview from Bagram airfield on Tuesday it was emotional because service members in Afghanistan are constantly in harm’s way and constantly making the nation proud.
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue are on the trip. They met with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.
Gulp! How many hot dogs can a person eat?
Record-setting hot dog eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut held onto his title at the hot dog eating contest at Nathan’s Famous in New York, breaking the record he set last year. The San Jose, California, man chowed down 72 hot dogs in 10 minutes, besting last year’s mark of 70.
Meanwhile, Miki Sudo notched a fourth straight win in the women’s division on the Coney Island boardwalk. The Las Vegas woman ate 41 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Parade accidents
At the nation’s oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration, a woman was hit by a parade float. WJAR-TV reports it happened at the parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. Bystanders said the woman was pinned under the float and onlookers helped lift it off her. The woman was hospitalised.
The Bristol parade was started in 1785. It’s billed as the oldest continuous celebration of independence in the country and attracts about 100,000 people to the seaside town in a typical year.
In Fremont, Ohio, an antique tow truck crashed into two tractors during an Independence Day parade, injuring multiple people. Police say the tow truck’s driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into two farm tractors near the beginning of the parade.
