Small Town Fourth of July

There is nothing like the Independence Day celebrations in a small town. From community picnics in the town square and baseball games down at the ball field, small town America really steps out on the 4th. Houses strung with bunting and flags waving in the breeze, it's a sight to see. Here in my town of Burien, Washington we take the holiday very seriously. In the Three Tree Point neighborhood, they get started early with a community pancake breakfast and a flag raising ceremony near the beach. The neighborhood celebrates the Fourth with a fun, kid-friendly parade featuring funky homemade floats and stars-and-stripes costumery. The kids decorate their bikes and scooters and lead a parade down the beach road.  We opted to stroll into town for the morning cycling races, the 40th Annual Joe Matava Memorial Classic takes over downtown Burien in the morning hours of the 4th. Since the streets are already blocked off for the big Independence Day Parade, it makes a great cycling course. The races speed along a flat four corner route that is about a mile long. The racing goes from about 7AM and ends just before the parade lines up at 3PM. When they get to the Pro Classes it gets very exciting to watch.

It was a glorious sunny day for a parade. A bit warm though for these parts, in the 90's towards the heat of the day but dry. We found an empty sidewalk table at a new in town restaurant the Kayak Bar and Grill and enjoyed an ice cold beer in the shade as the parade got going. Also a great vantage point to snap some photos. Our parade, like the ones going on in small towns all over the country consists of the high school marching band and the boy scout troop, the police and fire departments, clowns and politicians and to cap it off the Seafair Pirates to close the show. All in all it runs for about an hour and everyone in town has come to line the streets.

  

Then it's back home for a little Bar-B-Que. A nice marinated London Broil with some potato salad and other side dishes and a cold beverage or two to enjoy the evening before the fireworks started. We have the perfect vantage point for that on our elevated back porch. Our closest fireworks exhibition was only about two blocks away in back of us at Lake Burien. No traffic to deal with and we could put our feet up and enjoy the show. A great day to celebrate the freedoms that usually get taken for granted the rest of the year. I hope your day was as great as ours!