What the holiday is really about, in Hampton Roads

Patchwork Nation sent a request for a snapshot of Independence Day holiday plans in the Hampton Roads region. SmartRegion.org readers and guest bloggers were more than happy to comply.

Many here in “Military Bastion” Hampton Roads mentioned that while July 4th is a time to gather with friends and family, cookout and watch fireworks, it’s also a time to reflect on its meaning in American history.

Here’s a sampling of the responses we received:

• When you live in a tourist destination, the hardest part about a holiday is deciding what to do. Music, fireworks and festivals are everywhere, and it’s impossible to do everything. Most of what we do is free, so the economy doesn’t really change our plans. One less funnel cake, maybe.On Friday afternoon, we’ll walk down to the Elizabeth River to watch the Parade of Sail to Town Point Park in Norfolk for Harborfest. Harborfest, Norfolk’s biggest party of the year, is normally earlier in the summer, but this year Town Point Park was undergoing extensive renovations, so now we have the opening of the park, the 4th of July celebration, and Harborbest all in the same weekend. It’s going to be huge. Friday night, we’ll be heading to City Park in Chesapeake for a concert by the U.S. Fleet Forces Band followed by fireworks. You can always find patriotic music in a military town. Our friend brings his RV and guests bring grill food and dishes to share before the concert. Everyone brings a little extra to feed the staff working the event. It’s that kind of town. On Saturday morning, we’ll be in the South Norfolk area of Chesapeake for an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration. It starts with a parade that welcomes everyone from dignitaries to kids who have decorated their bikes for the occasion. The community spends the rest of the day in a shaded park eating hotdogs and watching the kids play. Our oldest daughter comes home from camp that afternoon, so we’ll probably head to the pool instead to relax and hear stories of her two weeks away. Sunday we’ll be off to Town Point Park for Harborfest when we hope the crowds will be lighter. The fireworks display is set for 7:30 p.m. I’ve never been to fireworks in the daylight before. Should be interesting. After that, we’ll go home, shoulders probably sunburned, stomachs a little queasy from all the festival food, and everyone wishing we could do it all again tomorrow!
  Happy 4th! Lizz Gunnufsen, City of Chesapeake
  
• We’re attending our 61st (I think) consecutive annual family reunion in Anderson, SC. It’s in a different state each year- OH, NC, SC, MD, NY. Travel around the 4th in a tough economy is difficult, but strong tradition and family are rejuvenating. We don’t want to miss aging elders and each other.
  Hank Lewis, Zel Technologies
• I will hang our U.S. and Hampton Roads flags from our front porch, putter, then when it’s dark, join family for hot dogs and hamburgers on our dock while watching oceanfront fireworks over the treetops.
  Jim Babcock, Future of Hampton Roads
  
• Here in Chesapeake, residents are looking forward to several great annual celebrations of our nation’s independence. Things kick off Friday evening, July 3, with a concert at City Park by the US Fleet Forces Band. This is followed up by a rousing fireworks spectacle. Then on Saturday the 4th, residents, dignitaries and groups gather for the annual South Norfolk July 4th parade. This event is EVERYTHING a hometown parade should be – bands, kids on bikes, fire trucks, marching units and floats. After the parade, everyone gathers at Lakeside Park for a day of music, fun and festivity. We are expecting normal to above average crowds, since many people are choosing to stay home this holiday weekend, beat the costs of traveling, and enjoy all that Chesapeake has to offer.
  Happy 4th! Heath E. Covey, City of Chesapeake
  
• Independence Day is frankly everything we’re about (at Colonial Williamsburg). We’re celebrating this year as we always do. Residents and visitors alike count on a festive celebration of our county, and there was never any question of changing our tradition. Williamsburg continues to celebrate Independence Day in the town where freedom rang more than 200 years ago. Programs run all day and the fireworks at Colonial Williamsburg are expected to attract the usual 20,000 spectators. Our celebrations last all day and include Fifes and Drums, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, conversations with Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, an old-fashioned ice cream social at the College of William & Mary, and ends with fireworks throughout the Historic Area. And it’s easy on the budget, as they’re all free events.
  Kate Hoving, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
  
• At our house we sit on the front steps and watch the fireworks all around our neighborhood and vow to fight the crowds next year so that we can actually hear them. This year our family retailer will toil through Saturday.
  Betsy McBride, Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement
• Our corner of Virginia Beach is a lot like Mayberry, only with surf. We plant little flags around our yard, cook out with friends and go to the beach. At the end of the day we head back to the sand for the city’s firework display over the Atlantic. This year, I’ll be sending special thoughts to a friend, Corporal Joe Tarkett, who’s bravely serving in Afghanistan.
  Kerry Dougherty, Metro Columnist, The Virginian-Pilot
  
• As a Brit, I love July 4th. It’s my opportunity to enjoy Americana with abandon. Yesterday, I contemplated buying a flag! We’re kicking off the holiday weekend by catching a Tides baseball game and then will go to a July 4th cookout in the neighborhood. I have the best river/Norfolk skyline view, so we’ll watch the fireworks from our balcony.
  Patricia Bartosch, The Hampton Roads Dossier
  
• This year, the 33rd annual Harborfest takes place July 3—5 at the newly renovated waterfront Town Point Park. There will be over 130 hours of live entertainment on multiple stages, featuring national, regional and local musical acts. A highlight of the festival is the annual Parade of Sail where Battleships, Tall Ships, Tall Ship Tours, Pirates, and Fireboats will cruise the Elizabeth River. Harborfest is three explosive days of free entertainment, three electrifying days of fireworks displays and the biggest outdoor dock party in Hampton Roads!
  Erin Filarecki, Norfolk Convention & Visitors Bureau
  
• Fish will die. Fish will fry.
  Wm. Donald Tabor Jr., DDS, Local Libertarian blog
  
• We will be spending the Fourth of July weekend together, enjoying cookouts at the house on Friday and Sunday, and on Saturday an afternoon and evening at Town Point Club, experiencing the festivities in newly reopened Town Point Park from the club and in the park itself. The view is spectacular. We are looking forward to seeing Lee Greenwood perform again; the last time was at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs over July 4th in 2002, post-9/11. This is also my husband’s only opportunity home for quite some time to come, as he was recalled to active duty and has been assigned to Bahrain for a year. The holiday will be a reminder that freedom isn’t free and we all, in some way, should not forget that on this holiday weekend.
  Amy Waters Yarsinske, Author
  
• Like many others, I’ll be spending the holiday at home with family (husband, 2.5 year-old daughter, parents, in-laws), enjoying great food and time together! We will, of course, reflect on the importance of this day.
  Cinda Ayers, Virginia Arts Festival
  
• The weather is predicted to be outstanding and Virginia Beach is celebrating Independence Day at the oceanfront with their Stars & Stripes Explosion. Multiple live performances on oceanfront stages will attract thousands of visitors and residents of Virginia Beach to a “star-spangled” salute to this great country of ours. Musical acts offer something for everyone with the English Channel, ZoSo – the Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience, Revolution – the Beatles Tribute, and Symphonicity (the symphony orchestra of Virginia Beach). From 8:00pm-9:30pm, a stage erected right on the beach at 20th Street becomes the focal point for performances by Symphonicity (the symphony orchestra of Virginia Beach) together with the Virginia Beach Chorale. This musical program encompasses patriotic songs, Broadway standards, movie themes, and folk music. The show segues into a spectacular fireworks show at 9:30pm that explodes over the ocean in a burst of colors and patterns! Felicia Barton of “American Idol” fame will take part in the production on the 20th Street stage, singing “God Bless America.
  Pamela M. Lingle, Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau
  
• Well, this year will be different for us. Ordinarily, we’d do the typical – cook out, pool time, walk to Mt Trashmore to see the fireworks, but this year my niece is getting married on Independence Day. So it’ll be WEDDING, cake, then cookout, pool time, walk to Mt. Trashmore to join the rest of humanity in watching the fireworks. Mostly, I’m going to try to enjoy spending the day with my six kids and teach them a little about the meaning of the holiday.
  Carmen, It’s Mom to the Screaming Masses
  
• I always think of my sister, an elementary school teacher. Since she herself was young, one of her biggest pet peeves has been correcting everyone – schools, stores, check-out clerks, along with every other government, retail or commercial entity, when they refer to this holiday “July 4th” or “The Fourth of July.” She’s been adamant throughout her life, and continues now with her students, that the correct reference is: Independence Day, and what the day means. Probably because of her, this has become the second holiday of the year where I always take the time to re-read something tied to the day: on “Independence Day,” I always break out the US History coffee table book and read the full Declaration of Independence. It’s an amazing document and gives me chills every time I read it. (I also catch myself singing the “Preamble” to the tune of the “Schoolhouse Rock” song, so now you know what generation I’m from.) The highlight of the weekend is spent at a cookout on the beach at a friend’s house on the Chesapeake Bay, watching the “illegal” fireworks display at Chick’s Beach.
  Kevin Gaydosh, O’Brien et al
  
• My brother’s in town from NYC. We will spend time with mom. I’m grilling a new mahi-mahi recipe (I know that that is non-traditional), meeting up with friends later, and hopefully getting to see some fireworks. Like many others, I’m excited about the new Town Point Park (in Norfolk)!
  Diane Kaufman, Virginia Port Authority
  
• Since this is our first 4th back in Hampton Roads after living out of the area for the past 5 years, my husband and I are excited to head out to Harborfest and to check out Town Point Park. It’s a holiday staycation for us this 4th of July! A few days off of work will give us just enough time to relax, catch up on housework, spend time with friends and family, and squeeze in some quality beach time.
  Amelia Baker, Green Alternatives
  
• Attending the Downtown Hampton Farmer’s Market looking for fresh vegetables and baked items.
  Belinda Willis, Smart Beginnings, VA Peninsula
  
• Living near the waterfront of Portsmouth, another historic city across the river from Norfolk, we’ll share the fireworks. Earlier in the day, we have a neighborhood kids parade with toddlers in strollers and big kids helping the younger ones. We’ll watch people crab and fish off the bulkhead and enjoy friends, family and neighbors throughout the weekend.
  Elizabeth Smith, Online Content & Marketing Director, The Virginian-Pilot
  
• After years of photographing the Parade of Sail during Harborfest from the tops of buildings and from the riverside, I’ve been invited to participate aboard one of the tall ships. Whoo-hoo. I’ve never shot it from this perspective before. There are so many continuous activities on both sides of the Elizabeth River, in Portsmouth and Norfolk for three days, complete with fireworks, that it will be impossible to see it all.
  Clyde Nordan, Olde Town Photography
  
• I am going to snuggle up with a good book, starting my summer book club…The Blue Way by Daniel de Faro, and Joe Andrews; visit with old friends and family; pop in on few cookouts; check out some festivals; listen to some music; wonder around some music stores, and simply enjoy being an American.
  Seneca Bock, Community Capacity Builders
  
• My kids are 3 and 4, so late night fire works aren’t a big thing for us yet. But this year, through Blue Star Families and the White House’s summer service initiative, we’re making more of an effort to teach our kids about service to others. So we’re planning a backyard barbecue, while we make care packages to send to our troops overseas.
  Stephanie Himel-Nelson, Blue Star Families
  
• Doing the grand re-opening of downtown Norfolk’s beautiful, newly renovated Town Point Park after being closed for a year coupled with HarborFest, one of the largest of Hampton Roads’ festivals which includes the “Parade of Sail,” means our neighborhood will be exploding with people from near and far! And, I, my husband and two stepkids can walk a block and take it all in thanks to urban living!
  Missy Schmidt, Hampton Roads Partnership

• We learned in late middle age that Americans can walk; we need not always get in a car. The renaissance of Downtown Norfolk allows us to walk on July 4 from our home twenty blocks to a cookout in the graveyard of an active 1739 Church, and then to walk three blocks to the Elizabeth River waterfront for a spectacular regional display of fireworks.
  Louis Guy, Retired Engineer and Norfolk Historical Society
• Family picnic in back yard of my sister-in-law’s waterfront home in York County… Fun, food, family, fireworks…
  Rick Steroni, Brutally Honest Blog
• As active duty Coast Guard, and a whole weekend off… I’ll be spending the time with my wife and three little girls. Maybe we’ll do a picnic at Chesapeake Park.
  Ryan Erickson, Unofficial Coast Guard Blog
• Nothing planned different from any other Saturday off. In our business (movie theaters), Saturday is the busiest day of the week. Therefore, unless you’ve requested Saturday off, you expect to get scheduled on it. Therefore, I didn’t plan on anything, then wasn’t scheduled.
  Henry Ryto, Avenging Archangel Blog
• Attending an evening, patriotic concert on Glasgow Street in Olde Towne Portsmouth. 7PM. Fireworks over the Elizabeth following.
  Peter Stinson, Tidewater Musings
• July 4th is a giant cookout with lots of BBQ and burgers and dogs, with fireworks at night. Same thing every year, and would never change the tradition.
  Brian Kirwin, Government Relations & Political Consultant,
  Bearing Drift
• I generally do very little on the 4th – just hang out with my neighbors and cook out – but this year, I’m planning to attend HarborFest. It’s the first time I’ve been in years but I’m excited to see what the renovated Town Point Park looks like.
  Vivian J. Paige, All Politics is Local Blog
• We will have friends and family come over to watch Chuckatuck Creek home-built-raft race, have a cook out and watch Crittenden (in Suffolk) fireworks.
  Alice Mountjoy, Virginia Center for Public Safety
• I’m working around the house and yard before attending an evening cookout in Norfolk, followed by watching the fireworks from atop Hague Tower in downtown Norfolk.
  Carlton Hardy, Cultural Alliance
• I am playing golf then going to Victory Landing Park in downtown Newport News to watch fireworks.
  Al Riutort, City of Newport News