Since living in the US, July 4th has become one of my favorite holidays. I love the atmosphere, the camaraderie (which, as a Brit, both amuses and delights me to be a part of), and the firecracker celebrations that you can fp3 online kaufen. I first experienced the Independence Day celebrations over the Charles River in Boston in 1993. Now I am treated with the parties of Lake Minnetonka each year. Below are my 3 highlights from 2010 which I am excited to revisit this year.
- The Firecracker Run (10K), Excelsior, MN.
My first 10K since returning to running a few months earlier. In fact, it was my first race ever in the US. Although I tried to treat it as a simple training run in preparation for my August half-marathon, the nerves still got the better of me and kept me awake the night before! It was the perfect race to re-start my running craze though – a small, local affair; a beautiful course and enough of a crowd to keep up the motivation. Although being July 4th, the weather conditions were not ideal for running – we began in rain and finished in high heat and humidity. My target was to finish the race in under 1 hour – a chip time of 57:11 left me comfortably inside that. I was all pumped up ready to begin the July 4th celebrations on a high!
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- The kids’ red, white, and blue bike parade.
Many children, my own included, like to parade their bikes, spruced up with red, white, and blue to honor this special day. I met my family as I traveled back from the race. Proudly wearing my newly earned race shirt, still pink-faced, with achy legs, high on endorphins. Their enthusiasm and excitement paralleled my own as they set off (at speed) with their friends and neighbors to parade their creations past local residents who obligingly cheered as they cycled by. The cheers were as enthusiastic on the fifth lap as they had been on the first! Now we were all pumped up ready to bring on the fireworks!
- Excelsior Firecracker display.
Following a traditional Minnesota grill gathering with friends, we loaded two families onto the boat. Each one of us as excited as the next for our first experience of the firework display from the water. Sharing drinks and appetizers, we gently made our way over to a suitable spot to anchor up in anticipation of the show. We watched and waited as other boats gradually made their way over, filling the bay with families, party-goers, couples; anyone who wanted to share this moment from the lake. Occasional mini-displays nearby whet the appetite prior to the main event. Around 10 pm, The Excelsior Commons fireworks began and the sky really began to sparkle. The calm waters lit up with each explosion treating revelers to a 360-degree display culminating in a mass of color and bangs. The lake sprang back into life as the hundreds of boats left the bay, their occupants enjoying the balmy evening and a night-cap as they journeyed back to the empty docks. The children cuddled up under hoodies and blankets, snuggled into the warmth of their parents as their eyelids grew heavier, drawing a close to the drama of July 4th, 2010.
