In 1785, the first 4th of July parade took place in Bristol, RI. This is the home of the nation's oldest and continuous 4th of July celebration. Just one town over from ours, this small town along the Narragansett Bay throws a huge party to celebrate our nation's independence. While many of the old homes are decked out in red, white, and blue every day, the 4th of July is the day the town works toward each year.
The people of Bristol are serious about their parade and start staking territory as early as 1AM the morning of. The roads are closed early in the morning and traffic stands still until the parade ends.
For the past 5 years, my mother-in-law has hosted a party just around the corner from the parade route. Her home becomes party central as many of our friends and hers stop by for food, drink, air conditioning, and fun. As this year may be our last here, the celebration was bittersweet.
Here are a few photos I snapped this year (for full screen mode, hover over and click on the 4 arrows on the lower right corner of the photo box).
What did you do this weekend?
