Our Family's Fourth Of July Traditions

4th of july

7/4/19

 

The Fourth Of July is one of my favorite holidays.  I enjoy this holiday for many reasons.  It is time that we spend with family and friends.  We always have good food, good fireworks, and the “Right” music.

 

For as long as I can remember our family has always celebrated the Fourth Of July at Wind Bush Hollow.  Ask me how to get there and I cannot tell you.  For years we have always had to meet family and friends in town and let them follow us to Wind Bush Hollow.  Of course, now the kids can drop you a pin and you can let your smart phone lead you to Wind Bush Hollow.

 

Many years ago, my Mom and Dad bought a small cabin in Wind Bush Hollow.  Their cabin is on the backwaters of the Tennessee River.  Every Fourth of July we would go and spend the week at the “cabin”, “The Lake House, or “The River”.  These are names that we adopted for “Our Happy Place”.

 

Every Fourth of July Mom and Dad would invite everyone to come and eat and to watch the fireworks. There is always a huge crowd. There is always lots of family, friends, and always a few people that we are still wondering who they are.  Mom and Dad have always done a great job of extending true Southern hospitality to anyone and everyone. 

 

After eating more food than we should.  Dad starts sitting up the fireworks on an old pontoon that just has a deck.  They will take this pontoon and pull it to the middle of the river and anchor it down after they light the fireworks.  Years ago, two guys would stay on the pontoon and light the fireworks one at a time.  I am not sure which was better the firework shows or watching the guys trying to get out of the way when one of the fireworks would turn over.  Thank goodness that noone ever was hurt during this time.  Now they take one fuse and fuse all of the fireworks together and light the one fuse and pull away.  This way they get to enjoy the fireworks just like everyone else.

 

Even though this has always been lots of fun Dad has always went to great lengths to have a great firework show but he has gone to even greater lengths to make sure that we had patriotic music playing during the fireworks show.  He makes sure not only that the “Right” music is playing but that everyone can hear the music.  Even the hundreds of boats that pull up in front of the cabin on the river hours before the fireworks begin.  If the music is not playing the fireworks show will not begin.

 

Even though there have been times that it has drove me insane because Dad had me looking for, the “Right” CD that had the “Right” music on it to play.  The “Right” CD player to hook up to the outside speaker because the one that I had was not loud enough.  The music was what was most important to him because it told the story of what the Fourth Of July really means.  The music said Thank you to all of the Men and women that served to make Independence Day what it is today.  The music reminds us of the many sacrifices that so many have sacrificed for our Freedom. 

 

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for the family tradition of celebrating the Fourth Of July with good food, good people, good fireworks and the “Right” music.  Most of all Thank you for making sure that we knew that the music was the most important ingredient of the day and why it was the most important ingredient of the day.  Thank you to all of the men and women who have served and are now serving our great country.

 

God Bless The USA!

 

Tracy Chambers

 

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