Boston is the best site to celebrate America’s 249th birthday, according to holiday revelers, who frequently arrive early for Fourth of July celebrations.
Hundreds of people dressed in the national colors gathered in City Hall Plaza on Friday morning to begin the celebration, which started with a march that led to the Old State House for the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Arriving early to secure the finest seat possible for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular in the evening, Jackie Washburn spent the morning lounging by the Charles River.
The New Bedford resident described the Esplanade, where she sees the same people year after year and meets new ones, as a fascinating place to be on her 19th Fourth of July in Washburn.
Washburn told the Herald that given the current political situation, it is time to set aside our disagreements, unite, and celebrate our nation’s accomplishments and future goals.
In a big group with Washburn, Bridgewater resident Meagan Rebelo remarked that before she visited Esplanade for the first time herself, she thought her buddy was insane for a few years. She claimed that ever since, she has been hooked.
When Rebelo spoke about celebrating with the Boston Pops, he remarked, “It’s just the energy, being in there, the whole experience is just so moving.” I adore it.
During her morning statement at City Hall Plaza, Mayor Michelle Wu held her months-old daughter Mira and reminded the audience that Boston is the city that began it all. She emphasized how the Battle of Bunker Hill and Paul Revere’s Ride had already been used to commemorate the 250th anniversary milestones.
The mayor continued by reflecting on how, 250 years ago, Bostonians were unaware that the British would be driven out eight months later, prior to the declaration of independence on July 4, 1776.
According to Wu, all Bostonians understood at the time was still true today. That there are distinctions between right and bad, between freedom and tyranny, and that our actions in each instant count because it is always worthwhile to struggle for a better future for our families.
The city’s commissioner of veterans services, Robert Santiago, discussed the significance of the Pledge of Allegiance, which consists of 31 words that, in his words, “renew promises to be one nation, to defend liberty, and to strive for justice, and affirm the values and freedom that the American flag represents.”
“The Pledge of Allegiance reminds us that our story is still being written as we look ahead to the 250th anniversary of this great nation,” Santiago added.
He emphasized that we should recite the Pledge of Allegiance today with thankfulness, introspection, and determination rather than just as a ritual. Let it serve as a reminder of the generations that have given up for the liberties we all take for granted today.
The streets behind the Boston Fire Department and the Frank Zarba Military Band were crowded with hundreds of people of all ages. In front of the Granary Burying Ground, where wreaths were put for a few Founding Fathers, the procession paused for a 21-musket salute and taps.
as on their parents’ shoulders, children waved little American flags, as flags atop street poles fluttered in the breeze. Red, white, and blue confetti fragments flew into the air and hit the ground following the Old State House’s reading of the Declaration of Independence.
According to 23-year-old Tyler Iriving, who traveled from Boulder, Colorado, to see the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, Boston is one of his favorite destinations.
