By Christine McPheter
On July 4th 1776, the United States of America proclaimed its independence from England by signing the Declaration of Independence.
While the signing of the Declaration itself was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday is seen as the official anniversary of U.S. independence.
Although Philadelphians marked the first anniversary of independence in 1777 with spontaneous celebrations in the streets of Philadelphia, the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” wasn’t until 1791 and Independence Day celebrations only became common after the War of 1812.
By the 1870’s, Independence Day had become the most important secular holiday on the American calendar and has transformed into what is known as the 4th of July today.
In 1870, The U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees, though it wasn’t until 1941 that Congress declared Independence Day to be a paid federal holiday.
How is it celebrated?
This Independence Day, there will be parades, barbecues, picnics and fireworks throughout the country.
Independence Day for the Trost family was cutting Wheat. But since my father fought in World War II it was always a celebration day of our freedom. I can always remember him saying that the most beautiful sight was seeing the Statue of Liberty coming home. We would get home early on the 4th after taking meals to the field. Mom and I would make homemade ice cream, pack it and by the time the guys got home we would have cake and ice cream. We made a lot of ice cream when we were kids. If harvest happen to get done before July 4th which it sometimes did, not very often, other neighbors would come or we would gather at a farm that had a pool and we would all take food and have a big picnic. If we stayed at our farm we could see the fireworks from town in the sky, but usually we were so tired from the hot summer day-that we watched a few and it was off to bed, because morning came early and the irrigation pipe had to be moved. You left the house by 5am to get to the River Bottom. We didn’t have what SW Kansas has pivot irradiation we had pipe that got moved every day. I felt Meade County was a blinking city when I first moved out here. It turned out to be irrigation.
The McPheter family was different depending on how it fell, because I worked at the bank and it was hard for me to get away on a Friday early. We would leave as soon as I got home and head to the farm and help with harvest. Dad was always glad to see Robert because something always needed fixed and mother had been cooking for days for harvest so she got to enjoy the kids more than dad. We really never did many fireworks at the farm because of fires and it was always so dry. After mom and dad were killed it was back to Meade.
Meade 4th of July became family, friends and fireworks. The Nears would have firecracker wars and it was more like close the streets off and we had fun. I don’t think we would get away with our neighborhood block parties now. But that road was always a closed road-so now that it is a street to the edge of town-I know we would never be able to do what we use to do. Where did all those fun neighborhood times go?
The National Safety Council advises everyone to enjoy fireworks at public displays conducted by professionals, and not to use any fireworks at home. They may be legal but they are not safe.
In 2017, eight people died and over 12,000 were injured badly enough to require medical treatment after fireworks-related incidents. Of these, 50% of the injuries were to children and young adults under age 20. Over two-thirds (67%) of injuries took place from June 16 to July 16. And while the majority of these incidents were due to amateurs attempting to use professional-grade, homemade or other illegal fireworks or explosives, an estimated 1,200 injuries were from less powerful devices like small firecrackers and sparklers.
Additionally, fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires each year, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires and nearly 17,000 other fires.
If You Choose to Use Legal Fireworks
If consumer fireworks are legal to buy where you live and you choose to use them, be sure to follow the following safety tips:
- Never allow young children to handle fireworks
- Older children should use them only under close adult supervision
- Never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol
- Anyone using fireworks or standing nearby should wear protective eyewear
- Never hold lighted fireworks in your hands
- Never light them indoors
- Only use them away from people, houses and flammable material
- Never point or throw fireworks at another person
- Only light one device at a time and maintain a safe distance after lighting
- Never ignite devices in a container
- Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks
- Soak both spent and unused fireworks in water for a few hours before discarding
- Keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don’t go off or in case of fire
- Never use illegal fireworks
Better yet, grab a blanket and a patch of lawn, kick back and let the experts handle the fireworks show.
Sparklers Are Dangerous
Every year, young children can be found along parade routes and at festivals with sparklers in hand, but sparklers are a lot more dangerous than most people think.
Sparklers burn at about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals. Sparklers can quickly ignite clothing, and children have received severe burns from dropping sparklers on their feet. According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers alone account for more than 25% of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries. For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries. Consider using safer alternatives, such as glow sticks, confetti poppers or colored streamers.
