The Fourth of July-Looking back and looking ahead

Happy Fourth of July!

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July and most people here in Watertown will watch a parade, eat a brat, toast our great country with a beer, salute a flag, wear something red, white, or blue, and flock to the park to watch the fireworks.

The Fourth of July was always my Dad's favorite holiday. When the girls were little we would pack up our car and make the mile trek to my parent's house as if we were staying for a week. We spent the entire day with them. First we watched the parade. My Dad always had to have the parade line up which was published in our paper in hand so he could keep us all informed of where we were in the parade. We always had great seats because it was John's job to take chairs (sometimes as many as 10) and blankets down to the route and stake out our territory. He often had to be down there setting up by 6:00 A.M.

My girls marched in the parade a few times. One or two years they held one of our state flags in a big group of fifty kids all doing the same thing. It was fun to dress them up in their patriotic colors and watch them march by. As they got older they rode on the Watertown Aquatic Lifeguard float (well, more of a truck actually) and shot water out of super squirters at the crowd. That activity has since been banned, no more water shooting at the parade watchers.

After the parade my Dad would put the brats on the grill. After he died John took over that very important job. My Dad always took a bite out of one brat and usually burned his mouth, not sure why he did that, maybe to see if they were done. Anyway we always enjoyed those brats, still do. Sometimes one will even come in with a bite out of it and no one takes credit for it. We like to think its Ken paying a visit on the Fourth. The food always stayed out all day and into the night so anyone could eat whenever and as often as they liked. Funny thing we never worried about anything spoiling or going bad and no one got sick!

In the afternoon we would walk down to the carnival and put the girls on the rides. I never really trusted rides that went up in two days and had cords running here, there, and everywhere around the area. I also didn't care for the toothless, shirtless carnies who ran the rides, but what could you do. We always liked to play the carnival games, too. My personal favorite was skee ball. I could easily drop $10.00 and walk away with a deck of cards. Rather expensive cards, but the fun...

Since we live right above the park (remember we now live in my parent's house) it was my Dad's joy to sit in his lawn chair in the backyard and watch the celebration unfold. We would sit out there with him while the girls played on the hill and big steps in our backyard. This was all fine and dandy until dusk when the mosquitos would come. My Dad could sit out in swarms of mosquitos and they never bothered him (it may have been all the brandy) We, on the other hand would get eaten alive and have to go into the house. He would sit out there and say "There is not a mosquito out here!" I am thinking this was before bug spray because we didn't use it. He had a way of making one feel guilty for not being out there, but none of us could do it. I would give anything to hear Dad say just one more time "There is not a mosquito out here!"

We did venture out again when the fireworks were starting usually with long sleeves and jeans on to protect ourselves and then we would proceed to OOH and AAH at all the pretty colors. We would then complain about all the people who came up on our hill to watch the fireworks. The best part was waiting at mom and dad's until all the cars thinned out and then we would head home after a long and very fun day.

I am not very political, but I do feel a real love for this country and I thank God (because I can) for letting me be born and grow up right here in the best place on earth! And I thank God for letting the Fourth of July be such a great family day for us. Thanks for the memories! Then I eat one more brat, drink one more beer, and swat one more mosquito all for my Dad. Happy Fourth Dad, we will miss you tomorrow!

My Fourth of July message to Tizzy: I cannot wait to share this big celebration with you next year. I want to go to the parade with a kid again and see it through your eyes. I want to ride the merry go round with you and wave at Grandpa. I want to OOH and AAH at the fireworks with you!