July 4, 2014

Today we celebrate:

National Barbecue Day – We must differentiate between barbecuing and grilling. Barbecue uses indirect heat for a long time and grilling uses direct heat for a much shorter period of time. So make sure you get it right when you make it for dinner tonight.

Boom Box Parade Day – Begun in 1986 by WILI, a radio station in Willimantic, Connecticut, this is a day to have a Boom Box Parade. This day began when the Windham's Memorial Day Parade couldn't find a marching band. So, WILI played marching band music on the air while people marched in the parade carrying their boom boxes which, of course, were tuned to WILI's station. Anyone can participate, the only requirement is that they wear red, white and blue and carry a radio tuned to WILI. American flags are encouraged as well.

Fourth Of July or Independence Day – This day doesn't really need any explanation, but for those who might live in another country, this day celebrates the adoption of our Declaration of Independence back in 1776.

Independence From Meat Day - This is a day to start a new tradition.  It doesn’t need to be burgers and dogs on the grill for your barbeque today.  You can grill veggie burgers and veggie dogs, especially if you are going to be inviting vegetarians to your party.  It would be great if they could eat more than the salad.

Indivisible Day – First declared as a holiday in 2002 by Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, this day celebrates the division between church and state by the American Constitution. It is under fire by a lot of people who believe it to be an atheist inspired day.

National Country Music Day – This is a down home, country day. It doesn't matter if you prefer the classic country of our childhood or the newer country that has a touch of rock in it. Listen to whatever kind of country music you like today.

Earth At Aphelion – On this day at midnight (Universal Time) we are at the farthest point from the sun that we ever go. The earth's orbit around the sun is not a circle, it is more elliptical which means that we are not exactly the same distance from the sun from day to day. Oddly enough, the earth is warmer at this point than it is at perihelion when we are the closest to the sun.

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day – On this day in Oatman, Arizona, there is a festival that involves wild west gun fights, food galore and burros wandering wherever they want. But the big attraction today is the egg frying competition. The rules demand that you fry an egg within 15 minutes using only the sun.


To celebrate today, don’t forget to protect your skin from the sun’s rays even though we are so far away from it today.  Add boom boxes and country music to your Fourth of July parade today.  While you are waiting for the parade to get to where you are, fry some eggs on the sidewalk to see how hot it is.  Then invite everyone around to for a barbeque with regular burgers and veggie burgers where you can discuss the division between church and state.

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