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    July 04, 2011

Americans Celebrate Independence Day with Parties, Fireworks

   VOA News
   Ymonie Humphries, 8, of Westhaven, Conn., shows off a photograph she
   took on a cell phone as her mother Hilda looks on while waiting for the
   start of the Boston Pops 4th of July concert rehearsal at the Hatch
   Shell on the Esplanade in Boston, July 3, 2011
   Photo: AP
   Ymonie Humphries, 8, of Westhaven, Conn., shows off a photograph she
   took on a cell phone as her mother Hilda looks on while waiting for the
   start of the Boston Pops 4th of July concert rehearsal at the Hatch
   Shell on the Esplanade in Boston, July 3, 2011.

   Americans are celebrating Independence Day Monday - the anniversary of
   the day the country's founding fathers declared independence from
   Britain in 1776.
   On the day known informally as the Fourth of July, U.S. citizens
   celebrate with parades, picnics, ball games, and concerts. Fourth of
   July decorations feature the colors of the American flag: red, white,
   and blue.
   Traditional fireworks will light up the nighttime skies over small
   towns and major cities, including Washington, New York and
   Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
   One hundred new citizens will be sworn in at Mount Vernon, in the state
   of Virginia outside Washington DC, the home of the first U.S. president
   George Washington. The current president, Barack Obama, will host
   members of the military and their families for a White House barbecue
   and concert.
   On a lighter note, New York City's beach resort area, Coney Island,
   celebrates with an annual hot dog-eating contest on July 4. Contenders
   have 12 minutes to eat as many hot dogs and buns as possible. World
   champion Joey Chestnut set a record in 2009 by eating 68 hot dogs.

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