When I was a little kid, the Fourth of July was my favorite holiday. We would go downtown to Peoria, Illinois's legendary "Red, White, and Boom" fireworks display, sit in the lot of one of the Caterpillar buildings, and watch the sky explode with lights and colors. In full disclosure, I was that weird kid who liked the noise the fireworks made more than the lights or colors or designs. I would fall to sleep at night when we got home and happily listen to the booms and cracks of the houses in my neighborhood setting off small fireworks and other incendiary entertainment. I'd angle the blinds in my room, which I keep closed the entire rest of the year, open just enough to hopefully catch a glimpse of that last firework before the neighborhood was silent again until next year.

As I got older we stopped going downtown as often, but we definitely still had our Fourth of July fun… But with a twist. In my hometown of Morton, Illinois, we put on our fireworks display on July 3rd instead. (I have been told this is so it doesn't conflict with Peoria's much larger display on the holiday itself.) I think, especially for a smaller town of 16,700 residents, the fireworks the Morton VFW puts on every year are spectacular. It has everything you could want in a fireworks display: live patriotic music, food and face-painting for the impatient little ones, ground displays, and an assortment of types and colors of fireworks- all commencing at dusk and over in about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the year. Plus, leading up to the event the local baseball all-star games from Youth Baseball are played a few blocks away at the baseball field. Free entertainment followed by a fireworks display: all in all, a big win for a small town.

But I've been extra lucky when it comes to "The Third of July", as I now so fondly refer to it. When I was about six years old, my grandparents moved into the condominium complex that is across the street from the VFW where the shoot off the fireworks every year. Except for an unfortunately placed tree, we can see and hear everything that goes on at the VFW, plus walk over to meet up with friends if we want to go. After that first year and we realized what a spectacular set-up we had over there, we invited a work friend of my grandfather's, a native of Britain who had never been in the United States on our Independence Day, who wanted to know what we actually did to celebrate our nation's birthday. After that, I can't honestly explain how it grew into what it is today. Slowly every year as my siblings and I got older, we invited friends, my parents invited friends, my grandparents invited friends and neighbors, until it grew into a rather large party, especially when considering this is a condominium complex! We have great food, great company, board games, sparklers, music, and dancing. It is always by far my favorite night of the summer, and I know every year my friends can't stop talking about how excited they are for the party. It is truly a time when I am proud to be an American and celebrate with the people that have made living in this small town in this big country such a wonderful experience.