Happy 234th birthday, America! All across the country, this date will be celebrated by family and friends with hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, corn on the cob, watermelon,  ice cream, games, and, of course, fireworks. We will observe it quietly at home with a seafood cookout, blackberry roll, homemade ice cream, horseshoes and badminton. We’ll end the day by gathering on the pier to watch fireworks that magically appear up and down the river, that is until we are ambushed by hungry no-see-ums that chase us as we madly run for cover indoors.

Ann Hohenberger, The Garden Club of Gloucester