Celebrating the 4th

In Honor of Independence Day, share the following:
1. A memory of celebrating the 4th as a child
2. A memory or tradition that you have in your adulthood for this holiday
3. One thing that you appreciate about our country

William Klinger's Story
My most memorable 4th of July was spent in Catania, Italia. I was serving a
mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While everyone
‘Back In The USA’ celebrated the 200th anniversary of Philadelphia Freedom I was
in a country that was free because of the sacrifices of service men and women of
the Allies Forces in WWII. While I missed the Tall Ships, the Fireworks, the
Music & Mom’s 4th of July Flag Cake [another great childhood memory], I was
blessed to be in a beautiful city by the Mediterranean Sea that was free from
the tyranny of the Axis powers. The 4th of July was a Sunday and I took photos
of the time & date at the park in Catania which was down in a flower arrangement
– it obviously changed every day. On the 5th of July [Missionary Preparation
Day] we missionaries – 6 Americans, 1 Canadian and 1 Austrian celebrated freedom
of religion at an Italian orchard with a family that took in we 8 strangers for
the day.
Somewhere on old fashioned slides I have many photos of the day – lemon
orchards, children playing army, missionaries hanging out and myself irrigating
the orchard with a shovel and wearing Anziano Paul Roberston’s “I’d Rather Be
Skiing” shirt. While I have many great memories of fireworks on 549 Middletown
Road, Hershey, PA and 62 Wilson Street, Middletown, PA – the one that stands out
most of all is Catania, Sicilia, Italia July 4th 1976 – oh! I almost forgot – I
wore a 1776-1976 Red, White & Blue tie that my father and mother sent me form
the states for the BIG CELEBRATION!!!
William R. Klinger
aka Dr. K.

Meredith Bennie's Story
1.What I remember the best about the 4th of July as a child was Grandma's flag cake, those charcoal snakes that grow when you like them, a fear of sparklers that burn too low and close to skin for comfort and watching Hershey Park's Fireworks. No, we didn't pay to go see them and squeeze into a congested parking lot that took hours to empty out afterward often... We got a good view of the show sitting right in Grandma and Grandpa's driveway. We also got to watch all of the other things that were being set off by all the neighbors. I can still see it in my mind: the red fence lined with rose bushes, the fireflies out to play, the adults in lawn chairs and the kids running all over the place grateful to have access to a lighted match.
2.Jeff and I haven't established a tradition yet for this holiday in our own family. In the past few years we have gone to stadium of fire and last year we had a blast taking the scooter around to all of the fireworks. It was perfect- we could squeeze that thing in anywhere and make a quick get-a-way to avoid the traffic. This year we will have to start working on a new plan to celebrate because we can't exactly strap our baby onto the scooter!
3.It's difficult for me to express my feelings of patriotism briefly- but here goes. The older that I get, the more grateful I become for the freedoms that we enjoy here in our country. I am particularly grateful for the rights that women now enjoy in the United States. My reading of intercultural literature has truly opened my eyes to the struggles of women trapped in the confines of their own cultures. I am so glad that I have had opportunities to be educated, to embrace my identity as an individual and ultimately for my own independence. Even in more recent years in our country opportunities have become more available for women. Just three generations ago it was incredibly rare for a woman even to go to college. I won't even start on religious freedoms because I could go on all day. True, our country isn't perfect- but living here is a lot better than so many places in the world and I count my blessings!