Like the song says, it's a celebration

Friday is our country's birthday, and like the lyrics from Kool & the Gang, "There's a party goin' on right here... A celebration to last throughout the year... Yahoo this is your celebration!"

Like many of you, I have enjoyed the revelry and the traditions of the Fourth of July all my life. There are some holidays that many feel have lost some of their meaning, but that's not the case for the anniversary of our country's Independence Day.

It was never intended to be a boring occasion with strict rules. Here is what one of our Founding Fathers, John Adams, had to say about how we should honor this date:

"It ought to be commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bell, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

I think that good old New England Adams had you and me in mind regarding his ideas about this day, don't you? Well, I can assure you I have done my part many times in the past, and I'm not going to let our second president down this year, either.

I have some wonderful friends from Miami, Okla. I met Scott and Kellie many years ago at a Chiefs game. Since then, they have been the main organizers of our weekly tailgate party on Sundays at Arrowhead games.

Each year on a weekend close to the Fourth of July, they host an Independence Day celebration at their ranch near Miami. There is good food, swimming, music and some dancing. More importantly, Scott makes sure that we follow Adam's recommendation for illumination!

He has become a bona fide expert in the field of pyrotechnics. The crowd gathers on the lawn east of their home as nightfall closes in. Over the next 45 to 60 minutes, we are treated to the rockets red glare and the bombs bursting in air.

You hear lots of oohs and aahs from the throng following each explosive display. My favorites are the big booms! There have been a series of magnificent and colorful starbursts, then suddenly, there is a bright flash of light. You know what's coming next in just a fraction of a second: BOOOOOOOOM! It's a detonation that is several times as powerful as the old cherry bombs from my youth.

There is another sensory effect that accompanies the bright flashes and booms. In the air there is the unmistakable scent you always note from fireworks. The sulphur odor is not exactly a pleasant smell, but you can take comfort in the fact that it helps repel the mosquitoes that always seem to be present in mid-summer.

I have always loved fireworks, especially those that are associated with my memories from so many Independence Days past. What enjoyable times I remember from my youth.

Just like kids today, we looked forward with great anticipation, to the Fourth of July fireworks. When I was very young, my parents limited me to simple and safe fireworks.

At the top of that list were sparklers. I was entranced as I waved the sparkling wand around. I can't remember ever getting burned, but I especially enjoyed watching the tiny sparkles as they came close to my arms and legs.

Do you remember those things they called snakes? You put this little pellet sized thing on the ground. When you lit it with the punk, it would suddenly begin to grow and expand in every direction.

Roman candles were big on my agenda too. I don't think you were supposed to hold them in your hand, but we always did. I felt like Sgt. Rock from the comic books firing a bazooka. Oops, that sort of dates me doesn't it? You have to be a baby boomer boy to remember Sgt. Rock.

Food has always been a part of our annual national birthday fare. The Fourth of July is the time each year when the fresh garden delights of the Midwest become available.

Roasting ears of sweet corn are generally ready by this time. Fresh, juicy home grown tomatoes are the best. You just can't get that same flavor from the ones you buy at the store.

As a kid, we used to go pick wild blackberries during this portion of the summer. My grandmother's famous blackberry cobbler was the best. She was old-school in her method. She used real lard to make the crust.

There were several freezers of homemade ice cream with multiple flavors available. No one had electric freezers; they were all hand-cranked. My grandfather and father used to go down to the old ice plant on north Cedar Street.

They would purchase a 50-pound block of ice. They would use an ice pick to break off large chunks from the block. Next, these hunks were placed in a gunnysack. The men used an ax maul to smash the chunks into what resembled today's crushed ice.

I was too small to use the hand crank, but they included me in the process by letting me pour the rock salt over the ice every few minutes.

Yes, my grandmother's blackberry cobbler and homemade ice cream are as much a part of my Independence Day memories as anything. Oh, and one last thing from those feasts was the southern-style sweet tea. The health nuts of today would faint over the generous portions of lard and sugar our grandmothers added.

I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July. Don't ever stop celebrating our nation's birthday. We are the luckiest people on the face of the earth, who are blessed with the liberty provided by our independence. Take President John Adam's advice. Be daring and loud. It truly is good to celebrate being an American!