Fourth of July Fun

For some unknown reason our little community observed the  Fourth of July in June.  The 30th to be exact.  Not ones to question authority we went along with the plan and celebrated the day with a neighborhood picnic.  As dusk fell we piled into one of the floaters and made our way down the lake joining the rest of revelers to take in the fireworks.  It was a great way to celebrate Independence Day, even if it was still June.

When the fourth finally arrived it was a bit anti-climatic.  We were content to beat the heat inside huddled around our little air conditioner watching the Pirates climb into first place in their division.  Our neighbor and friend M said not so fast and we soon found ourselves piling into the old folks mobile heading for Cambridge Springs and the Riverside Inn.

It was a typical small town fourth of July celebration.

Ben Franklin was there,



as was the town's vintage fire truck



polished to perfection,



a gleaming tribute to simpler times.



I'm not certain who this was.  He called to mind images of a turn of the century used horse salesman or shady politician.  (And good grief, he had to be sweltering beneath all of that wool.)



There were children.  Lots of children.



And a civil war camp.  (This one confused me.  Shouldn't we be reenacting the revolutionary war on the 4th of July instead of the Civil War?  Just saying.)



In true American style we ended our day with ice cream and then gathered around a camp fire listening to the music of an unknown band drift across the lake and watching the explosion of color from nearby fireworks.

It was indeed a Fourth of July to remember.