Americans marched in star-spangled parades, ran relay races, gathered for fireworks shows and crowned a new world hot dog eating champion as they celebrated he July 4 Independence Day holiday in traditional style on Saturday.
Possible security threats, wildfires in the west and rainy weather on the east coast apparently did little to dampen the spirits of celebrants decked out in red, white and blue from their headbands to their shoelaces.
Crowds at Boston’s Old State House erupted in applause and cannons shot out tricolor confetti after an annual holiday reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Photo: EPA
Krystle O’Brien, 27, wore a US flag cowboy hat and passed out glowsticks.
“It is a good day for Boston,” she said. “There is so much history here, we can celebrate this freedom.”
The crowd in Washington watched a parade of brass bands, law enforcement motorcycle units, high-school drum majorettes, antique cars and police and military detachments.
The US National Mall, an open area west of the Capitol Building and site of a fireworks display expected to draw hundreds of thousands, was soggy from steady rain that had stopped by the time the parade started.
Kearston Andrews, 26, traveled with her family from near Gainesville, Florida, unconcerned about security.
The US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued an alert last week asking local authorities and the public to remain vigilant for possible threats following recent calls for violence by leaders of the radical Islamic State group.
In New York City, the nation’s biggest police force assigned about 7,000 officers and nearly all its counterterrorism personnel to handle security around holiday events.
In a stunning upset on Coney Island, 23-year-old newcomer Matt Stonie grabbed the famed mustard-colored champion’s belt after gobbling 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the annual Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Stonie, of San Jose, California, ousted long-time champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who still holds a world record of 69 franks in 2013.
Miki Sudo kept the women’s title, downing 38 hotdogs in 10 minutes.
On the US west coast, which is battling wildfires, communities in Washington State and Oregon restricted or banned fireworks for fear of more blazes.
In downtown Los Angeles, thousands of revelers poured into Grand Park to enjoy music and food before a fireworks show.
“I am Mexican, so I am thankful to be born here and being able to celebrate your heritage, but mix with the diversity of other cultures too,” Erica Moussa said.
A celebration in Austin, Texas, featured country music legend Willie Nelson at an all-day picnic with music and drinking.
In Oklahoma, the record to beat at the “Watermelon Seed Spittin’ World Championship” in Pauls Valley, about 100km southeast of Oklahoma City, was 20.41m, set in 1989 by Jack Dietz of Chicago, organizers said.
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