The 3rd of July

What's your favorite holiday? As a kid it may have been one of the gift-giving ones, like Christmas or Hanukkah, and for a lot of people Halloween remains supreme because of scary movies, the costumes, and getting candy, which people of all ages can appreciate. Independence Day was a big deal growing up since I lived in the small town of Independence, California, home to the world-renowned Fruitcake Festival in December and the most wholesome small-town 4th of July celebration I've ever been a part of. There's a pancake breakfast, parade, craft fair, pie and ice cream social, fireworks, 5k run, games at the park, and a deep-pit barbecue dinner. If you've never been it'd be worth checking out since they had to shelve the festivities last year. 

However, I'm not writing about the 4th. I'm thinking about the most auspicious and magical event that happens to make the deep-pit barbecue possible. See, deep pit barbecue is made in a, well, y'know, deep pit, filled with hot coals, wherein clods of beef are placed to slow cook for many hours, resulting in the most tender and juicy beef you will ever enjoy. Because they have to start the cooking process the day before, at some point many years ago someone decided to make the barbecue in the park an event, thus creating a local favorite holiday: The 3rd of July.

At Dehy Park, located on the north end of Independence, the organizers set up a stage for a local band to play, and while the band plays locals begin to mill in, coolers of beer in tow, to drink and dance the night away. In the background of the festivities it looks like some sort of weird sacrificial rite; large flames flicker and burst from a hole in the ground while old timers stand by to make sure nothing goes awry. They then place the clods of beef into the dwindling flames after the pit sufficiently heats and after the locals are sufficiently drunk. Teenagers sneak away to the shadier corners of the park to do what teenagers do, and some adults sneak away to other shadier corners to do what teenagers do. The music and dancing goes well into the night like an ancient ritualistic festival, and at 6am many in attendance meet back at the park for the Lion's Club pancake breakfast to kick off a patriotic day, bleary eyed and tired but excited all the same.

When I think of summertime growing up, I think of a few things; the smell of the lilac bushes in front of my mom's house when I was in high school, balmy evenings playing in the sprinklers when I was 5 or 6, hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill, fireworks echoing off the mountainsides, and being jazzed about the possibilities before me, but nothing encapsulates the excitement and sensory experience of summertime quite like the 3rd of July at Dehy Park in Independence, California. If you have time and are in the neighborhood, and you like live music and small town charm (and if they're even doing it this year), be sure to go and check it out. It might become your favorite holiday too.