A Party Planner's Guide To The Best 4th Of July Celebration Ever

If you are looking for something special to do for this year's 4th of July celebration, throwing an awesome party can be both fun and rewarding for you, your family, and your friends.

Ever since the first 4th of July celebrations in the late sixteenth century, parades, festivals, feasts, and fun have been the norm.  Today, a celebration usually starts with a party at someone's home or a local park, and then ends up with watching the community fireworks go off at the local community park.

If you would like to have a 4th of July party this year, the first thing that you will want to decide on is the location you will have it at and the time your party will start.  While clean-up is much easier if you have your party at a local park, there will be many other families trying to have their celebrations at your local park as well.  For this reason, you might choose to have your party at your home and go to the park later in the evening to watch the fireworks.

You will need to send out invitations to your 4th of July party as soon as you know where it will be held.  Your invitations are the first sign to your guests of what your party may bring.  By either printing or purchasing some theme invitations you can start to set your party's theme even before the big day.  This will help your invited guests to begin to get excited about attending your event.

Once you have your initiations you should fill them out by hand, or print them on your computer, and make sure to include your phone number on them.  In addition, if your party will be held outside make sure you let your guests know this so they can bring the appropriate clothing for the event.

Decorating for your 4th of July party can be one of the most fun parts to the day for you.  With a red, white, and blue patriotic theme you can really go all out with streamers and Balloons.  Your plates, cups, napkins and tablecloths can be red, white, or blue or a nice combination of all of them.  In addition, add some American flags in appropriate areas to show your patriotism.  Hanging a large American flag near your front door or garage is a very appropriate thing to do for the 4th of July.

The typical menu for a 4th of July celebration is hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, potato salad, and anything else you might have at a family barbeque.  For desert you can make a wonderful creation using red and blue Jell-o or a simple white cake with red and blue icing.

No party is ever complete without some music, and the 4th of July is no exception to this.  However, mixed into your regular dance tracks should be some more traditional patriotic American music as well.  Songs such as "America the Beautiful" and "The Stars and Stripes" are meant to be played on the 4th of July and will be enjoyed by all.

Make sure that during the daytime hours you take some time out to take photos of your guests in places such as in front of the American flag.  These photos can later be printed or e-mailed to your friends and family as mementos of the day.  In addition, they can be shared with loved ones who were not able to attend the event itself.

A great ending to a 4th of July party is a trip downtown to your local community park to watch the local fireworks.  If your city or town allows it, take some sparklers and safe fireworks with you for the kids to enjoy while you wait for it to be dark enough for the bigger fireworks.

Most important of all is to enjoy your 4th of July celebration and remember that it is about spending time with friends and family as well as the independence of our country.

Excellent Menu For A Great Fourth Outdoors

The Fourth of July is America's Independence Day. It is a special day in the minds and hearts of patriotic citizens of this country and there are many ways we celebrate that patriotism. If you are looking for a little something extra to add to your Independence Day menu try some of the ideas below. Remember that the red, white, and blue of the American flag can be excellent color additions to your fabulous fourth menu and make it definitely firework worthy.

It is fairly safe to say that for most of the country the weather on the fourth of July is going to be a little bit on the warm side. While there are exceptions to every rule this is the general rule of thumb. For this reason you should prepare your menu according to that and avoid foods that are going to melt quickly or will not look as appealing in warm weather. You should also take proper precautions for storage and keeping things from spoiling by leaving them out in the elements too long. Store as much of the food as possible until it is time to serve.

This may somewhat limit your offerings but opens the door to other offerings. Rather than have chilled pies for dessert choose cake that can be stored at room temperature. There are sure to be a few chilled recipes or dishes that are best served and/or stored chilled. Be sure to have plenty of cold gel packs or ice on hand and plenty of ice chests and other appropriate containers, especially if you are going to be camping or cooking out away from home, on hand to take care of at least the amount of food you are contributing that needs cold storage.

If you are going to be camping out or enjoying the great outdoors on the fourth consider foods that can be prepared with a Dutch oven. There are many great recipes and these foods can pretty well cook for the prescribed length of time and served immediately if you plan properly. These ovens are quite useful and can prepare everything from cakes and muffins to stews, chili, and roast beef with vegetables. In other words, a Dutch oven opens doors that may not be widely available to the average camper on a cookout.

Foil packet meals are also excellent choices for your Fourth of July cookouts. These leave little mess, little fuss, and more often than not taste great. Dishes such as Hobo Stew and Creek Bank Potatoes are very popular and quite savory for the average cook out. They are also rather simple to prepare with few ingredients. This makes them an excellent choice for cooking on a grill or even in a Dutch oven if you have one at your disposal, which I highly recommend not only for Fourth of July meal preparations but also any time you are cooking in the great outdoors. You might find that you love it so much you don't want to do without it.

Another great tip when cooking away from home on the Fourth of July is to keep things simple. You do not want to lug around stacks of condiments, dishes, bowls, trays, etc. Keep things as simple as possible and try to use dishes that require few ingredients yet still taste great. The more simple things are when dining in the great outdoors the more you can appreciate the simplicity of being in the great outdoors.

Don't forget the appeal of simple hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats as great Fourth of July meal ideas. These foods are easy to prepare, easy to clean up, and go great with chips. No muss, no fuss, remember? The less time you spend on meal preparations, the more time you have available to get around to enjoying your time in our great countryside. I can't think of many better ways to celebrate our independence as a nation than by enjoying it.