Americans - July 4th - do you celebrate and if so how?

We always have a bbq or picnic for 4th of july, common foods are fried chicken, watermelon, bbq hamburgers or hotdogs, potato salad, root beer. Colorful cookies or cupcakes in red, white, and blue. There are fireworks at night, but also on TV during the day and early evening you can hear great patriotic concerts from Washingotn DC and Boston Pops orchestra, and the fireworks too. You can buy red white and blue necklaces, or even blinking lighted up star necklaces at the dollar store or other discount stores. Lots of 4th of July patriotic things are already out in Walmart and other stores. The average american has the day off work, they spend it with their family. I would go to a morning flag raising ceremony led by the boy scout troop in my area, and we might have a pancake breakfast outside too. There are parades in many cities and towns as well. There are some fun activities "test your knowledge" kinds of thigns at this website: http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/

I just watch fireworks only if I can. What simple foods could we eat for lunch? You can have a barbecue (hamburgers, hot dogs, etc) How could we dress up? You can wear anything that's red, white, and blue. It would be nice to wear something that is a flag image. How can we decorate our centre for the day? You can put flags, balloons, some toys, etc. What activities could we do, or research on the internet? Play games and win prices? Sorry, my mind is blank on this. What will you or your community be doing? What does the avarage American do? I think they watch the fireworks at night. During the day, they have barbecue.