Big Day in Small Town NC

My girls have spent the last couple of July 4ths at our house in the suburbs of Virginia.  This year for Independence Day, however, I packed up my car and drove south to the small town in North Carolina where I grew up, and where my folks still live.  Now that they are old enough to really enjoy it, I thought it was high time Princess and Birdie experience this holiday of patriotism, greasy grilled food, and amateur pyrotechnic displays in a place and way that I recall fondly from my youth.  I think that they are really happy that we did.

We started our day bright and early with my home town's "Big Day" celebration, which kicked off with a parade.

Birdie waiting for the parade to start

The lead unit in the parade, right after the
police car escort and the National Guard color guard

The obligatory fire truck & bonus tow truck

Only in a small town does bike-riding qualify as a
parade-worthy skill

Waving at old people in old cars-- another small town parade necessity!
Princess wanted to know if they "were famous or something?!"

Get your own, Mama!

After the parade, we walked down the "block" to where the rest of the Big Day festivities were being held.  There we enjoyed country ham biscuits, roasted corn on the cob, baked goods of all varieties, and ice cream-- at 10:00 a.m.  Oh, and there was other stuff besides the food, too-- I was just too busy eating or feeding my kids a steady stream of this stuff to do much else.  Of course, being out in the sticks, we also had a good old-fashioned cake walk, live gospel music, a kiddie train ride, face painting, and lots of familiar faces.  Birdie asked me if I knew everybody, or if I was just pretending.

After the Big Day festivities, we moved the party back to my folks' house.  My dad invested in an inflatable pool for the ladies, and they have spent lots of time splashing and soaking in this sweltering weather.  (Soaking in the wading pool counts as a bath, right?)

When I finally convinced the girls to get out of the pool, we finished up the evening by grilling burgers and dogs for dinner, with my brother setting fire to some grocery store fireworks afterward.  It was every bit as awesome as it sounds.

The amazing pyrotechnics display, y'all

Princess examining the fireworks
after they cooled off

Birdie stayed a safe distance from her uncle
"just in case he doesn't know what he's doing."

My girls are exhausted (and my folks), but fun was had by all.  We had a busy day on the Crazy Train, celebrating the Fourth North Carolina country-style, and now this mama is glad to report that the Crazies are sleeping.  *sigh*

Happy Fourth of July, y'all!