Our Fourth of July Celebration

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The year of 2011 is half over, and we begin the second half with the Country's 4th of July Celebration. The weather should be good in most parts of the United States this weekend, which will be great for all the parades, barbecues, and firework displays.

Our family will be getting together on the Pennsylvania farm for our annual chicken barbecue. This is usually an all day affair which begins early in the morning. We begin by getting up and preparing the salads: potato, macaroni, beans, and mixed lettuces. The potatoes are peeled, boiled and cut. Then the onions and celery are diced. Eggs are boiled in preparation for deviled eggs.  Then the tables are set up on the porch and the decorations are hung. Afterward, the chicken is cleaned.

Around 10 AM, the men go outside and prepare the charcoal pit. It is cleaned and lined with aluminum foil. A starter fire of kindling wood is made. When a hot bed of coals are ready, we fill the pit with two bags of charcoal.

By 11:30, we are ready to begin cooking our chicken. Each person gets one half of a chicken, which means we will cook about 20 pieces. We sit around the pit drinking beer, soda, and wine. Every 5 to 10 minutes someone flips the chicken and bastes them with a homemade sauce.

Image by Bisayan lady via Flickr

About 12:30 the guests begin to arrive and they join in the grilling. We talk, laugh, and reminisce about all the other good times we've shared.

By 2 PM, the chicken is done and we all go to the porch to begin our feast. Nobody is in a hurry, so we spend a couple of hours eating. After the clean up, we rest for a while and then set up dessert. By 6 or 7 PM, everyone is stuffed and we wait for dark to fall so that we can watch the neighboring town's fireworks illuminate the sky. 

I hope that everyone enjoys their 4th of July Holiday as much as all of us in our family!