The Fourth of July is a fantastic time to get together with friends and family to celebrate our great country. It’s a lovely reminder of why we should be appreciative of where we live. Even while our country has it’s periods of struggle – it still embodies the ultimate message of peace and potential in everyone, and that in and of itself should be celebrated.
But, after all these years of sitting on a beach watching fireworks, eating sandwiches or hanging out cooking burgers – it’s time to spice things up a bit and be creative with your Fourth of July plans. Who’s with me? Below are six ideas for doing just that.
Relay Races in the ParkÂ
No matter where you are, you can find a park and pull off relay races – a good ol’ American past time. All you need is something to tie ankles together, plastic spoons, M&M’s and a lot of adults who are kids at heart.
Or, a group of adults and kids who love to compete in the spirit of fun. Three legged race, wheelbarrow race and the spoon race – all three of these can be accomplished on the fly, last minute, with very little in the way of planning.
It’s quite possible, I have experience with this…on the Fourth of July…in another country while living there for an internship. Let’s just say we had a lot of strange looks while wearing our red, white and blue, doing wheelbarrow races in the park. But we had a fantastic time and it helped with our homesick feelings a bit.
I highly recommend this as a way to celebrate the Fourth no matter your age or where you may be at the time.
Friends and Family Cook-Off
Whether it’s chili, seeing who has the best rack of ribs recipe or a macaroni and cheese bake-off – a little friendly competition amongst friends with food is always a lot of fun.
Consider having entries in different categories of food if you have a larger group – several people can then enter into the macaroni and cheese category, several in the barbecue portion and a few in a dessert category. Then you have all your needs covered and a little bit of competitive fun to go along with it!
Adult Water Slip and Slide Races (ok, let the kids play, too)
It is possible to rent a double blow-up slip and slide making it perfect for racing, and the kids can join in on this fun, too! Get the whole party to pitch in for the rental if you can’t foot the whole bill on this expense. You can be assured this will make for a fantastic holiday afternoon in the water for all.
Beer Tasting
There is nothing like a cold beer on a hot day, so why not get a group of friends together on the Fourth and have everyone bring their favorite beer (you can decide if you want to limit it to American due to the holiday) and conduct a tasting. Throw some burgers on the grill and you’re good to go with a fantastic spin on the backyard barbecue!
Tubing
Find a great, slow flowing river to leisurely float down for the day with your cooler floating behind you. This is best done with a large group of friends who you can laugh with for hours on end.
Just be sure not to forget the sunscreen and the water shoes. Also, this isn’t an activity for young kids who cannot swim well.
Celebrating “Old School” Fourth
With life being filled with the “go big or go home” mentality these days, the old ways are now their own version of  ”creative” – so light up the ol’ charcoal grill, break out the horseshoes and dig those pits in the backyard.
Play some hair bands on the iPod in the midst of some modern hits and kick back with a few cold beers. Put out sprinklers and wading pools for the kids during the daylight hours, light up sparklers for night, and add in s’mores for good measure. Keep it simple and enjoy the company of old and new friends. What’s old is new again!
How do you plan to celebrate the Fourth of July this year?
Photo: BrunkfordBraun
