Fireworks! Plans for Edina's Fourth of July Celebration

The Edina community will be celebrating the Fourth of July all day next Wednesday, with the city's annual parade kicking things off at 10 a.m.

The 2012 parade theme is Broad Stripes & Bright Stars, celebrating the words of The Star Spangled Banner. The parade runs eastbound on 50th Street between and the parking lot at Halifax Avenue.

Edina's yearly fireworks extravaganza kicks off at 8:45 p.m. with a concert from the First John Phillip Sousa Memorial band at . The fireworks will follow once the sun sets—at around 10 p.m.—and are sponsored this year by .

There are a number of great viewing spots throughout the city—including the area surrounding Lake Cornelia and the top of  parking garage—but which one is your favorite?

All activities are free of charge and will take place rain or shine.

History

1. July 4 is not technically our day of independence: The original colonies legally broke from England’s rule on July 2, 1776, in a closed session of Congress, according to www.usa.gov.

It took the Second Continental Congress two more days to revise the most famous of American documents; July 4 was the day the Declaration of Independence was given final approval.

2. The first Independence Day was celebrated July 8, 1776: Although the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776, it was not made public until July 8. According towww.pueblo.gsa.gov, the bells of Philadelphia—the Liberty Bell included—rang to summon citizens to Independence Hall for the very first public reading of the document on July 8.

The Declaration of Independence was read that day by Col. John Nixon, who, less than a year later, would be made a brigadier general of the Continental Army.

3. New York was a bit late: When the Continental Congress declared independence from Britain the official vote was 12 in favor, 0 against. But wait, weren't there 13 colonies?

The answer: The colony of New York abstained from the original vote on July 2. New York did not decide to join until July 19, according to www.usa.gov.

4. Independence was a state thing first: Independence certainly wasn't Congress' idea first. It started out as a state and colony idea.

In fact, the very first Declaration of Independence came on Oct. 4, 1774 (21 months before the Continental Congress declared independence) from the town of Worcester, MA. During the next 21 months a total of 90 state and local declarations of independence would be made. When Virginia declared its independence in May 1776, they sent Rep. Richard Henry Lee to the Continental Congress with specific instructions to put forth a resolution of independence for Congress to vote on, thus allying all the colonies—soon to become states—against the British Empire in the War for Independence. 

5. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the Fourth of July: Not only did our second president and third president both die on Independence Day, they both died on the same day: July 4, 1826.

Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence, and served as president from 1801 to 1809. Adams, who helped Jefferson draft the Declaration, served from 1797 to 1801, and was subsequently defeated in an attempt at re-election by Jefferson.

25 years later, both men would die on the same day, Jefferson only a few hours before Adams.

6. The signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign on July 4, 1776: The idea of the 56 signers being in the same room at the same time on our day of independence is, unfortunately, a myth.

The official signing event took place on Aug. 2, 1776, according to www.usa.gov, when 50 men signed the document. It took several months before all 56 finally signed; the last, Thomas McKean, signed in January 1777, some seven months after the document was approved by Congress.

Even after signing, the names of the signers were withheld from the public for more than six months to protect their identities. The Revolutionary War was still going on, and if the signers were discovered, the treasonable act could have resulted in their deaths.

See also information about Fourth of July 2013:

• Where to Watch Fireworks in Minnesota 2013
• Fourth of July is the Deadliest Holiday on the Roads
• Road Construction in the Twin Cities This Week
• Stay cool on Fourth of July weekend
• What Will Edina's Weather Be Like for Fourth of July

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