When I lived in NY, all the neighboring small towns got together to put on one fireworks display. Since my best friend lived down the street from the park where it took place, we always had a barbecue at her house, walked over to claim our spot on the grass for the fireworks, then walked back to have ice cream and play games until all the traffic dispersed. Loved it.

In Colorado, every tiny location hosted its own tiny fireworks display -- we could see 4 of them from the sidewalk outside our house. It completely lost the sense of unity and community that it had in NY.

The last 4th of July I spent in Colorado, our friend missed most of the picnic at the local park. He was dealing with the police and fire department because one of his neighbors lit his grass and fence on fire. The neighbor claimed it was his fault, for not wetting down his grass.

The holiday has definitely changed over the years, and not for the better.