On July 4, 1976, I was in New York City celebrating America's bicentennial. My parents wanted to make sure I never forgot where I was and what I was doing when the country that gives me my freedom turned 200 years old. They succeeded. I have never forgotten spending Independence Day in New York.
My family and I flew into La Guardia airport the day before. The plane ride, in and of itself, was unforgettable. There were more people on the airplane than in all of Creeks Bend, my tiny southern home town. I still have package of peanuts I was given. I didn't eat them; I saved them as memento of the trip. I drank my first "Shirley Temple." I felt so grown-up, sitting in the window looking at the clouds below.
My parents had reserved a small hotel suite. The two rooms were separated by a shared bathroom as well as a sitting room. It was more like a small apartment then a hotel room - all it needed was kitchen. The suite was, as I remember it, "way up high." I looked out the window of my room and watched ants on the sidewalk that were really people. We ordered room service. I ate a cheeseburger and French fries. I also had another Shirley Temple. My dad teased me about "taking it easy" on my drinks. I thought he was concerned I would have a major sugar rush from all the soda. My eight year old mind didn't understand what he meant.
After we had unpacked, we went sightseeing. All it really was walking around the Manhattan streets close to the hotel. People walked so fast! They moved as is they were being chased by an unseen monster. There were more cars parked on the streets than had been at the dealership where my parents had bought our last new car. My mom gave me some money and I bought a hot dog from a street vendor that was standing outside a building with hundreds of steps leading to the entrance. I didn't understand what he asked me, but I nodded and gave him the money. He reached into his cart with long tongs. He then made me a hot dog with sauerkraut, pickles, onions and mushy peppers. I had to ask for mustard. He charged me fifty cents to squeeze a yellow container full of mustard on my hot dog. It wasn't enough mustard for me, but I didn't complain. I thought he would charge another fifty cents.
I thought I would be too excited from the day to sleep, but I was wrong. I was asleep early and then up with the sun the next morning. I knew we would have a lot to do that day. My parents had made a list and I couldn't wait to get started checking things off of it. We would be leaving the next afternoon and I didn't want to miss a thing the Big Apple had to offer me.
All of my past Independence Days had been spent within 50 miles of home. Usually, they were spent at the school in my hometown. The whole town, all sixty or so plus their out of town families, would congregate there for the annual Creeks Bend festivities. We would catch greased pigs, take turns riding Mr. Malone's horse around the school grounds, and play all sorts of games. All the women brought their best dishes and set them on the long tables on the football field. We would just help ourselves to whatever we wanted. If we ran out of something, whoever made that dish would run home and grab or make some more. We had parade. Those of us who owned horses would saddle them up and ride them down our one main street. The kids would follow behind with American flags. Our very own veterans would walk in front of the high school marching band - all fourteen members. My grandfather and other veterans would give speeches (actually, talk from the heart) about our freedom and what it meant to them from Granny Keene's front porch. We would sit on her lawn, under the magnolia trees, smelling all of the flowers she had planted that year, and listen. We had our own fireworks show, too. Everyone put the fireworks that had bought together and the men, sometimes the teen-age boys, would set them off. No fancy displays, but we clapped and cheered anyway. That was the Fourth of July in Creeks Bend.
Nothing like that this year. We hailed a cab and headed for Central Park. There were more hot dog vendors and men selling drinks from canopied stands. People were roller skating and sitting on the yellowed grass under little trees. There were mimes and clowns and little bands all over. Policemen were everywhere - some were even on horses and bicycles!
We then went to the Bronx Zoo. I felt sorry for all the animals in those tiny cages. They paced back and forth, over and over again. I looked at them through the bars and wished they could be back where they belonged - running through the grass of Africa or hopping in Outback of Australia, wherever they were from originally. We didn't stay long; I think it bothered my parents, too. Besides, it was too busy with too many people. A fight broke out between a man with really long hair and a policeman. My dad picked me up and we walked really fast the exit. I just thought the man was taking his medicine, maybe an insulin shot. I learned later it was something completely different.
We spent the rest of the day getting in and out of cabs as we tried to see all the sights. It seemed like everywhere we went there was a parade of some sort. We didn't see a parade in it's entirety, just little bits of many parades. We went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Lady Liberty was much taller than I thought she would be. We even went to the Empire State Building. It didn't take as long to get to the top as it did to get to the top floor of the hospital my grandfather was in when he had been sick the past winter and that hospital only had fourteen floors! I looked through the binoculars my dad had brought. There were more ants, just like from the hotel window, only much smaller this time.
Even before the sun went down, firecrackers were going off everywhere. We made our way to the "Operation Sail." We had no idea where it was, but we managed to get there anyway. The crowd was unbelievable! It seemed like millions and millions people were surrounding me. My dad put me on his shoulders, held my hand tightly and we made our way closer the front, just like everyone else. People were climbing street signs and light poles in order to see. I don't know how Dad managed it, but he got us close enough to see all the boats float by. They were huge! Streamers littered the water between the boats and land. Everyone was waving and cheering. The newspaper said that President Ford was there, but I didn't know where.
We left before it was over. We didn't want to be late for the fireworks at the Statue of Liberty. That was fantastic. Lady Liberty was lit up and all sorts of sparkling colors surrounded her in bright flashes. I normally would have pointed to the prettiest of the fireworks, but I didn't have enough hands. At first, I thought they had set them all off at once, but I quickly learned I was wrong. They kept going for a long time. It seemed like hundreds at a time would fly up in the air and explode simultaneously. Before they had flickered out, hundreds more hurling into the sky and bursting into colors and flashes.
I thought the whole world had showed up to see all the fireworks. Along with the crowd, I clapped and cheered. I even sang along to the patriotic music being blasted all around us. Small boats were floating around Liberty Island and setting of their little fireworks. It was loud and hot and so crowded.
We made our way back to the hotel after the fireworks. It took about a thousand cabs and lots of walking before we were in our hotel room. I chattered endlessly about the sites, sounds and smells of the day. I'm not sure how I got to bed that night. I remember setting on the couch in the hotel room, telling my mom and dad about everything I had seen and done and, the next thing I knew, Mom was waking me up in my bed, telling me it was time to leave.
I still chatter endlessly about that Fourth of July. It made an impression on me. Although I prefer our little Creeks Bend celebration, I still enjoyed New York City and it's giant celebration. To this day, every time I see fireworks, I think of that day in The Big Apple. I hear the noise of the crowd and feel them pushing against me.
Most of all, I remember how people from all over the world came to celebrate my independence. I know freedom is for everyone, but I take it very personally. Rich people, poor people, people of all colors, creeds, and faiths came together and celebrated the fact that we can come together like that. There are very few places in the world where that can happen. I am thankful I live in such a place, the United States of America. I am thankful I was able to participate in such an important day in our history. I have memories that will last all of my life and I treasure each one of them, almost as much as I treasure the country I live for allowing me the freedom to make such wonderful memories.