1976 Bicentennial Jersey Style
1976 marked the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and it was a huge deal coast to coast now I was only 5 years old at the time but it just seemed like the first 6 months of 1976 you were just preparing for July 4th. I was going to Our Lady Of Sorrows at that time Kindergarten actually and almost every day we were doing some kind of red white and blue arts and crafts. Even my sister who was 6 years older than me and a girl scout was planning their Girl Scout trip to Washington to see the Freedom Train.
As the weather got warmer the more they talked and by they I mean every friggin person it seemed like, hell even my uncle started getting the fireworks in April it just seemed like everything was Bicentennial that year. 1776 Quilts (yes my mother made one and guess who’s bed it went on but it was friggin comfortable tho lol..)
Peters Bakery in Maplewood village had 1776 Cookies/cakes/cup cakes even brownies and how would I know because my chubby little 5 year old ass was glued to the window when we walked by the damn place.
Fast forward to the 4th of July now my town every 4th of July at 8am had a cannon they would shoot off three times and it was FUCKING AWESOME.
Because the fire station did it and guess who lived next to the Fire
Station??? This Guy!!! It would rattle our apartment building and the loud boom was better than any firework that you could ever set off.
After the Cannon, you had the parade down Valley St and it was badass you had tanks, jeeps and other huge military equipment come down the street. The National Guard and the Army were marching along waving and saluting then you had many dressed up as George Washington’s men and Betsy Ross as well.
Now at 10 am my uncle is taking me to the store with him for the stuff we didn’t get the night before, the Brookdale Soda from Home Liquors, and another quick stop to Calandra’s Bakery in Newark (our family’s origin North Ward) and then another stop to my Uncle Mikes Used Car lot to get the special fireworks. Now we get home to Maplewood by 12 noon to start the grilling as people start to come. My aunts, uncles, cousins from Newark, Bloomfield, and Kearny
It was all day fireworks and shenanigans not to mention there was a circus in the park so we would break off an go not to mention the local girls gymnastics team did a little show at the other park across from the circus. Then as soon as it got dark the big show came.
The 9pm Fireworks and to this day I will never forget how fantastic they were.
I will never forget the preparation… The Fun and most of all…
The Patriotism
