Charlie Foxtrot Coffee (CFC) is proud to join the millions across our great nation to celebrate the day when the United States of America declared its independence from Great Britain.
Today, as we commemorate the day our country adopted the Declaration of Independence - July 4, 1776, let’s take a moment to thank those who answered America’s call to duty, their families and the patriotic Americans who support them past, present and future.
And encourage everyone to take a moment out of your festive activities whether it’s attending a parade, taking part in a cookout or going to a baseball game to remember our fallen and the loved ones they left behind.
Let’s always keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
Yours patriotically,
Team Charlie Foxtrot Coffee
Our country’s most patriotic holiday has celebrated since its first anniversary date – 1977, which was kicked off in Bristol, Rhode Island, with two thirteen gun salutes – one in the morning and one that evening. In Philadelphia that same year, they celebrated with a formal dinner for the Continental Congress which included toasts, a thirteen gun salute, parades, speeches and fireworks – all similar to today’s celebrations. Ships docked in the harbor were adorned with red, white and blue streamers.
In 1871, Massachusetts became the first state to formally recognize July 4th as a state celebration, but according to some records, the phrase Independence Day wasn’t actually coined until 1791.
Bristol, Rhode Island also holds the longest record for continuously celebrating Independence Day with a Fourth of July Parade. Their tradition dates back to 1785. Seward, Nebraska has celebrated the 4th of July every year since 1868 in the same town square. This small town of 6,000 quickly swells to more than 40,000 for the Independence Day celebrations.
For a time, the evening before the 4th of July was often marked with celebration to usher in this important holiday. In the New England states, towns built massive pyramids to be lit on fire once the sun went down. Salem, Massachusetts was noted as having some bonfires consisting of 40 tiers of barrels, which made them the tallest on record. This custom continued to grow through the 19th and 20th centuries and is still practiced in some of the towns in New England to this day.
Today, Fourth of July holiday is often celebrated with family gatherings, cookouts, parades, concerts, baseball games, ceremonies and fireworks. Professional firework shows often use patriotic songs to accompany their massive displays adding a true patriotic feeling to an already visual pleasing display.
Some military bases have a salute at noon. They fire one gun for each state in the U.S. This tradition is referred to as the “Salute to the Union”.