From News Nation:
“After year of pandemic
cancellations, Americans celebrate July Fourth with a bang”
Americans marks the nation’s
245th birthday on Sunday with fireworks that may look brighter, hotdogs that
may taste juicier and marching bands that may sound jauntier after the
coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly all celebrations last
year. As always, fireworks displays are the highlight of the July Fourth
holiday. Two of the biggest pyrotechnic shows in the country will blast off
over the National Mall in Washington, and over a mile stretch of New York
City’s East River, separating Manhattan from the boroughs of Queens and
Brooklyn.
Some classic July Fourth events
such as Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn’s Coney Island
remained scaled back to allow for social distancing in recognition of the
continued threat of the COVID-19, which has killed more than 600,000 Americans.
The more aggressive Delta variant has raised alarms about the potential for
another surge among the unvaccinated. Even so, this holiday was a time for
Americans to show their patriotism and to celebrate a fresh sense of freedom in
a personal sense by mingling with friends once again and enjoying summer’s
simple pleasures. But this year’s July Fourth was not entirely carefree. The
U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned state and local police last week of
a heightened threat of violence by domestic extremist groups amid relaxed
COVID-19 restrictions and the July Fourth holiday.
It was expected to be the busiest
July Fourth road travel holiday on record – with an estimated 43.6 million
Americans behind the wheel, or 5% more than a previous record set in 2019, the
American Automobile Association said. Aleksandra Magidoff, a 12-year-old from
Brooklyn, traveled to a New Jersey suburb to reconnect with a lifelong friend
and her family. They were among the more than 3.5 million people who have moved
out of New York, once the U.S. epicenter of COVID-19, since the pandemic
started in the spring of 2020. “I’m so excited – I can talk to them and
celebrate with them and just socialize!” said Magidoff, who was fully
vaccinated under the enormous blue whale model at the American Museum of
Natural History in New York. The girls planned to gorge on “a bunch of
hamburgers and hotdogs” before taking in the fireworks show at a New Jersey
fairgrounds, she said. Last July Fourth she watched fireworks from her
apartment building’s rooftop while under pandemic lockdown, allowed to
celebrate with only her immediate family.
In Washington, masks must be worn
by any unvaccinated people who are among the 1,000 people attending President
Joe Biden’s July Fourth celebration on the White House lawn with essential
workers and military families, officials said. The president hosts the event
three days after his visit to Surfside, Florida, to console families whose
loved ones were in a condo tower that collapsed on June 24. Several Florida
communities have canceled their July Fourth fireworks out of respect for those
impacted by the tragedy, city officials said. Elsewhere in Washington, marching
bands stepped off on Sunday in a traditional parade on Capitol Hill’s Barracks
Row. As darkness falls, the National Mall was expected to draw big crowds to a
17-minute fireworks display set off from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool.
On New York’s East River, 50
pyrotechnicians have spent days loading more than 65,000 shells on five barges
to wow audiences watching the spectacular show either in person or on
television. The display is presented by Macy’s department store. Lighting up
the night’s sky not only delights crowds but also promises to restore a
lifeline this year for the businesses that supply the 16,000 July Fourth
fireworks displays that typically occur in cities and towns. Last year, only a
“scant few” went on with the show, said Julie Heckman, executive director of
the American Pyrotechnics Association. “Approximately 70% are scheduled to
return, and many will be bigger and better than pre-pandemic levels,” Heckman
said. But for some July Fourth was somber. In addition to the pall cast over
the country by the pandemic and the Florida building collapse, the U.S. West
faces a heightened risk of wildfires after a scorching heatwave and extremely
dry conditions. And nationwide supply chain glitches tied to the pandemic have
jacked up prices of everything from household items to fireworks.
^ This 4th of July is definitely
much better than last year’s. ^
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