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The
GREATEST
4th of July
Ever!
Independence Day is
a time when we all feel proud of our history
and celebrate the things that make America great.
Communities host parades, there are fireworks
at the fairgrounds, and plenty of good old American
food -- hotdogs, apple pie, caramel corn. But
are you aware of the lengths some people will
go to in celebrating America in style?
World's
Largest Flag
Not just the biggest
US flag, but the largest flag, period. Called
the Superflag,
this red white and blue beauty measures an incredible
255 feet tall and 505 feet wide. It weighs 3000
pounds and requires 600 volunteers to unfurl.
It even travels in its own motor home! You can
rent it and see for yourself -- just gather
up 600 friends and $10,000. READ
MORE ABOUT IT.
Most
Spectacular Fireworks Display
Oooooh! Wowwwww! The
annual exclamations of wonder and delight sound
from young and old alike when fireworks light
the night sky. But who's got a claim on the
very best fireworks of all? Macy's,
with its New York City display gets the award.
20,000 aerial shells and special effects are
launched from four barges anchored in the East
River, so the whole city can enjoy the treat.
Fire Department boats also join in, shooting
red, clear and blue water over 300 feet in the
air. You don't have
to book a flight to New York to see it -- the
festivities are televised live.
READ
MORE ABOUT IT.
As
American as Apple Pie!
The smell of freshly
baked pastry, warm cinnamon and tart apples
is enough to make most people's mouths water,
and with good reason. The Guinness World Record
for the largest apple pie is North Central Washington
Museum in Wenatchee, Washington. The
pie, baked on August 16, 1997, weighed a mighty
34,438 pounds and the dish measured 44 x 24
feet. How do you bake something
like that? You build a special brick oven, of
course. READ
MORE ABOUT IT. If you'd like to
try your hand at a slightly smaller pie, there's
a recipe
on RecipeLand.com for a previous
holder of the record for the largest pie, measuring
19 feet across, baked for the Hilton 1982 Apple
Festival in western New York. Ingredients
include 320 bushels of apples,
77.5 pounds of cinnamon, 9.66 gallons of lemon
juice (have to keep those apples from browning!)
and 1400 pounds of white sugar, among other
things. Serves 15,000.
What
a Hotdog!
What would the 4th
of July be without a freshly roasted hot dog
and all the trimmings? The
Vienna Beef hotdog company set out to produce
the longest hotdog in the world.
Others jumped into the food fight fray and topped
their offering until they carried one into the
Taste of Chicago annual festival... in a rain
gutter. The dog
was 37 feet and 2 inches long, in a 35-foot
bun. (It was not served, just
admired.) Among other amazing statistics related
to the dog, it was said the bun was studded
with 200,000 poppy seeds. (Somebody counted???)
READ
MORE ABOUT IT.
Worlds
Largest Popcorn Ball
The 4th of July is
when kids (and grown ups) get away with eating
just about anything. A favorite gooey delight
is the popcorn ball, held together with caramel
or molasses, with nuts or without, guaranteed
to leave the eater sticky for hours. The
largest popcorn ball ever constructed had a
12-foot diameter and required 2000 pounds of
popcorn to construct. READ
MORE ABOUT IT.
Most
Spirited Parade
Finally, a look at
that most American of institutions, the 4th
of July parade. What hot July 4th would be complete
without a chance to sit on the curb and cheer
the school band, wave to the firemen, admire
the twirlers, laugh at the clowns and sunburn
your nose in the process? While we couldn't
find an official listing for the longest parade,
we did find the most spirited. Beulah,
Wyoming held its first parade in 1997,
and the response was overwhelming. All
told, there were 193 entries to the parade --
not too shabby for a town with a population
of just 33 people.
Entries were spontaneous and nationwide, with
three airplanes taxied down the street, llamas,
and last-minute participants like the bicycle
touring team that came in off the interstate
to see what the commotion was about and ended
up joining the parade. The population of Beulah
swelled for the day to over 2500 as people
flooded the short streets to enjoy the parade.
READ
MORE ABOUT IT (really amusing news
stories and great quotes.) The
town is seeking recognition from the Guinness
folks as the longest parade
(it was a mile long and took an hour to traverse
the two blocks of "down town") in
the smallest town. We're
hoping they make it.
Have
a Safe and
Spirited 4th
of July! |
