Fourth of July: (Mostly) Free Alternatives to Fireworks

Being that it's illegal to possess or set off fireworks in New York State, not to mention the danger factor, Patch has compiled a list of other options and things to do.

Storytime: 10 a.m. for kids. Bring the kids to Barnes & Noble, Country Glen Center, 91 Old Country Road, Carle Place as they celebrate the Fourth of July with a Storytime and a related activity. 741-9850.

Celebrate Old School Style: Old Bethpage Village Restoration will host an Independence Day celebration circa 1865, on July 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests are invited to bring their own picnic lunches. Admission fees range from $5-$7. Call 572-8400 for more information.

Eat for less: Today only, eat at Boston Market and get 50 percent off of a family meal. Just print out this coupon and bring it to your nearest restaurant.

Free cup of Joe: Starbucks is giving away a free tall coffee today to kick off it's We are #Indivisible campaign, aimed at customers sharing their view sof America, and "how we can all put citizenship over partisanship."

Kids Eat Free While You Shop: Kids get a FREE Combo Meal at IKEA ($2.49 value), with no adult purchase necessary.

Order Take Out or Delivery: Get 50 percent off your regular priced order when you order online at Papa John's and enter code party50 at checkout. (Note: if you opt for delivery, you will be charged a delivery fee of approximately $2.)

Want to get crafty this Fourth of July? The following ideas are from DealNews.com editor, Jeff Somogyi:

Confetti
Buy some in the store, tear some colored paper up, or just grab a handful of shredded documents at work. Throw 'em in the air and watch the dazzling display as they gently — and safely — descend to earth. Ramp up the excitement factor by using other materials, like rocks or a handful of sewing needles.

Freshmaking
Similar to, but ultimately different from, the above suggestion: You can always jam Mentos into some Diet Coke, then "ooh" and "ahh" as the soda rockets into the sky. Then "argh" as the concoction falls back, spraying the mixture into your eyes.

More Soda-splosions
One final way to use soda for 4th of July fun: Shake a can as much as you can, then pop the top. It's like a sticky, fizzing firework. Hold it at arms length and you can pretend it's a Roman Candle.

Flashlights
Some (most?) states even ban sparklers these days, as they burn so hot they can take out a whole house before anyone notices. But kids love running through the yard, waving them around in disregard for their safety. What are we to do? Answer: Give them flashlights. They can wave those things around and get at least 63% of the fun (based on our informal dealnews fun-rating system which exists only in Jeff Somogyi's mind). And if you give them flaslights with a high enough wattage, you can also bring back the danger element. (Except, instead of burns, it's a danger of blindness as a 3,000-watt bulb shining into the eyes of a child is bound to do some kind of harm.)

Liberty Volcano
Remember your childhood when you realized the science fair was tomorrow and you forgot all about it, so you quickly grabbed the baking soda and the vinegar and mumbled something to your teacher about "volcano?" Well, this next suggestion is like that, but on the 4th of July. Stir together copious amounts of each of the substances, and it'll hiss and foam and fizz all over the place.

Mother Nature's Fireworks
Have your kids go out at dusk with a glass jar and tell them to get as many lightning bugs as they can. Then, place those jars on the table, gather the family around, and have everyone stare at them for a couple minutes. It's the green approach and has no carbon footprint. (Of course, if you forget to open the jars later that night to free the captive insects, you and your family will be guilty of committing Lightning Bug genocide. Bad karma, man.)