One of my favorite 4th July memories happened when I was about 11. My best friend and I decided to get in on the spirit of the holiday and dress our cats up as George and Martha Washington as an entry in our hometown parade. We dressed them in period costumes complete with little white wigs.
Sadly, we never made it to the actual parade. Martha decided she鈥檇 had enough and jumped out of the wagon and hid in the bushes, so we spent forever looking for her and missed the whole thing.
碍贰搁础鈥檚 Morning Edition host Andrew Garcia, has his own memories which include being an integral part to 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner.鈥�
鈥淢y small town patriotic claim to fame growing up was playing the crash cymbal during the national anthem in middle school band,鈥� Andrew said.
To tap into the patriotic spirit this year, we found a couple of festivals that have really embraced that small town Fourth of July community spirit.
The City of Garland is harnessing the nostalgia of an old-fashioned Fourth of July for its celebration. Mayor Dylan Hedrick, says Garland, population 250,000 has a small -town feel and a reputation for being the biggest small town in Texas.
鈥淲e have a brand new downtown square that recently opened last year and we just want to make use of that square,鈥� Mayor Hedrick said. 鈥淚t's the heart of our city and this is a great opportunity to do so, to bring the community together for a great celebration of America.鈥�
The festival, on July 3, includes food, live music, carnival rides, roller skating, and of course, a 20-minute fireworks display that wraps up the evening.
But the thing that caught our eye was the pie eating contest. What could be more American than eating apple pie on Independence Day?
So, here鈥檚 the way the contest goes: 10 contestants race to the bottom of a (very) deep dish apple pie from local pie shop, . It鈥檚 hands free, no forks allowed鈥� for the chance to win a $50 gift card for, you guessed it鈥搈ore pie!
Veronica Maldonado from MCed the event last year. She told us how the contestants fared.
鈥淭here were a couple of them that really had to give in fairly quickly because they probably went too fast and the pies were fairly large,鈥� Maldonado said. 鈥淪ome of them had to step away for a minute or two. Just you know to compose themselves before they could continue finishing their pie. But everyone had a great time.鈥�
The Colony鈥檚 hometown celebration, on July 4, includes a community parade in the morning, followed by an evening party with rides, live music and a Lucha Libre wrestling competition.
But besides men in tights, the event also spotlights THE iconic Fourth of July fruit with a watermelon eating contest.
Just like the pie-eating, this is another 鈥渘o hands鈥� competition. You chomp down on a couple of wedges until you see the rind. There are four age groups and they allow 10 people in each category.
Annette Carrico and her team of volunteers from The Colony鈥檚 Senior Center, run the event.
鈥淲atermelon always means summer,鈥� Carrico said. 鈥淚t just takes you back to a younger age and it's lots of fun. It's a big juicy mess.鈥�
Besides being messy fun, this popular event is also one where the girls rule. 11-year-old Amelia Byrd won the blue ribbon in her age group last year.
鈥淚 decided to do it because I've always been a really fast eater and it was something fun for 4th of July,鈥� Amelia said. 鈥淚t was me and my best friend. Her name is Makayla. We had both wanted to do it and she's a slow eater.鈥�
14-year-old Addy Gallardo won the contest the year before last. She鈥檚 back this year to hopefully take home watermelon gold again. She said the contest comes with unique challenges.
鈥淥ne of the things I saw when I did it the first time, was the girl next to me dove in, but she missed, and the watermelon went all on the side of her face.鈥�
For Addy, victory was sweet. Her first-place ribbon still hangs in her room. But also it鈥檚 also about the watermelon, which she said she can鈥檛 pass up,
What keeps people coming back to celebrate the 4th year after year? The contests, parades and fireworks are part of it., But Maldonado with Visit Garland, said there鈥檚 something else.
鈥淭he Fourth of July is one of those events that is key to our community,鈥� Maldonado said. 鈥淚t doesn't matter how warm it may be outside. We're going to come together and have a great time and stick around for the fireworks because it has that hometown feel that our community really embraces.鈥�
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