Every year, the Fourth of July is celebrated all over the country with parades, fireworks, picnics, political speeches and ceremonies, baseball games, and of course barbecues. Families usually celebrate this patriotic holiday gathering with relatives, attending a picnic or a barbecue. The barbecue has been a feature of the Forth of July festivities since as far back as the mid 1800s.

So if you are going to wear the patriotic spirit this Fourth of July, you will need to plan early to get it right. Get your guest list together and send out invitations early. It is always a great festive idea to make the barbecue a family affair by inviting friends and their kids. To add the Fourth of July flavor, you could ask everyone to wear red, white, and blue.

To carry the patriotic theme further, decorate with the patriotic theme. It’s easy to buy tablecloths, plates, cups, and napkins in red, blue, and white. Remember to mix and match. Use your ingenuity to make red, white and blue napkin rings or use the colors of the flag to make a jaunty string of stars to do up your front porch.

Play patriotic music, such as “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “America the Beautiful”, and the inimitable “Stars and Stripes Forever”.

Before the main meal, you could offer your guests salsa and chips for starters. For the barbecue itself, serve all-American food, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, deviled eggs, corn on the cob. Have lemonade and iced tea for your guests to wash it down with. You can complete the color theme by having gelatin desserts made in patriotic colors. Blueberry pie, apple pie and water melon are also welcome options. Have a supply of tofu dogs or veggie burgers for any vegetarians in the group.

Add energy to your barbecue by having games like baseball, wiffleball, croquet, or Capture the Flag with both adults and children. Give small party favors, perhaps hand made flags or other crafts with a patriotic theme.

To end your barbecue on an explosive note, have a small fireworks show in the backyard. If nothing else, build excitement for the end of the party by handing out sparklers to the children. The hand-held pyrotechnics are a great way to complete your Fourth of July get-together in a memorable way. You could also take your guests to a community event nearby.

The American Royal Barbecue held in the fall brings additional entertainment by way of a rodeo event and plenty of concerts. Spreading over 20 acres Kansas City’s Stockyards District, the Royal is the largest barbecue competition in the world.

Unusually named, the Big Pig Jig was originally a whole hog cooking contest, but has now expanded to include stews, ribs, and sauce competitions. It also hosts an art and craft fair, concerts, a golf tournament, a hog show, hog call contest, and a 5K run!

Set in the beautiful background of Madison Square, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party attracts people from far and near every summer to not only sample the best barbecue, but also to enjoy some great blues, rock, country, and soul music.

All in all, use the day and the barbecue to feel grateful for America’s freedoms and enjoy the simplicity of your country’s time-honored traditions.

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Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: july barbecues ,patriotic theme ,patriotic holiday ,july festivities