Celebrating the 4th in Style in Lutz

I stopped celebrating the 4th in the traditional way a couple of years back. The traditional way for me - us - was to get the family together for a cookout. When the kids were young, we'd get $50 worth of basic fireworks - the kind they sell under the tents along the road - and they'd love watching 'daddy' set them off. We never had any injuries, but in later years I learned to hate those fireworks, and I  actually became negative about the whole holiday for a while, and with good reason.

Three times during about a ten year period I found myself in the emergency room with a family member. One time my grandmother tripped as she stepped off the patio at my mother's house. Another time my daughter had an appendicitis attack, and a third time, my brother was hit in the head about an inch from his eye with a bottle rocket that a boy across the street - about 20 feet away - had fired. Anyway, the third time I decided I would treat the 4th just like any other day, and maybe nothing bad would happen.

Fast forward to this year.

We didn't plan anything special in the evening, but in the early a.m. I ran the Independence Day 5K in Lutz with several of my friends. It was a wonderful race, and the weather was an amazing 74 degrees! By the time the race was over, preparations were underway for their annual parade and the festival was well under way.

On stage an adorable group dressed in patriotic red, white, and blue was square dancing with great zeal. How much more American can you get? And there were booths everywhere selling all kinds of wonderful foods and confections, jewelry and handmade crafts. It felt good to see so many people having such a good time. Kids were getting their faces painted, and women were showing off some amazing quilts. It was small town America on the outskirts of a very big town. I loved it, and I'll be back. Thanks, Lutz.